The protocol establishes identification, registration in the Registry of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors, location, and interview with an interpreter.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 12 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of the Canary Islands has ratified a protocol — released this Thursday in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands — which advocates for the general welfare of minors and aims to rectify the “disarray” that has emerged in the reception procedures for unaccompanied migrant minors entering the archipelago.
This protocol, initially developed by the state in 2014 and obligatory for public officials and NGOs, arises from the agreement of the Government Council on September 2, which highlighted the “deterioration” of the migratory crisis on the islands after all available personal resources for reception had been “depleted.”
The resolution from the General Directorate for the Protection of Children and Families, as reported by Europa Press, intends to ensure adherence to the prior identification and documentation necessities that must accompany each minor individually at the point of handover and reception by the reception services under the Autonomous Community. It also aims to implement adequate prior oversight of administration to prevent situations of admission where no space is available.
The Canarian Executive acknowledges the existing “disarray” resulting from the surge in the number of cayucos and pateras arriving, particularly when the National Police transfers minors to personnel from the organisations, accompanied by a list or registry lacking direct oversight from the autonomous administration or an individual administrative decision regarding the location or assignment of the minor by the State to the Canary Islands, nor a decree from the Public Prosecutor’s Office to facilitate the minor’s availability.
Indeed, the Government states, “it is not feasible to accurately identify” each minor since bulk deliveries do not include photographs linking them to their names, thereby placing their correct identification and traceability “at risk” along with the ensuing “confusion of identities among minors,” as has been previously observed.
The Government also underscores the “high importance” of documenting the timing and conditions under which the State encountered the minor – whether during a sea rescue, arrival at a port, or a beach landing – and insists that an individual interview should take place with the oversight of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
SIGNIFICANT VULNERABILITIES IN THE SYSTEM
The Executive emphasises that this “recent” migration crisis in the Canary Islands “is exposing significant vulnerabilities within the system, necessitating the formalisation of the actions by the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the collaborating entities responsible for the reception and safeguarding of minors.”
Consequently, a preliminary identification report will be necessary, alongside registration in the Registry of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (RMENA) where applicable, and an administrative decision regarding individual assignment or placement from the relevant State authority, following a hearing with the minor, facilitated by an interpreter fluent in their native language or another language understood by the minor, with the accompaniment of the Prosecutor.
Once the availability of accommodation is confirmed, the minor will be received by the Autonomous Community, handed over by State officials at the police stations of the Autonomous Police of the Canary Islands, or at designated locations where such stations do not exist.
