Canary Islands Government Protocol Sparks Concerns Over Child Rights
The Spanish Government has taken a decisive step by agreeing to urgently send an opinion to the Council of State regarding a newly approved plan by the Canary Islands Government, amid fears of a potential conflict of competencies. This follows a meeting of the Council of Ministers, where they initiated the filing of a complaint with the Constitutional Court concerning the new reception protocol for minors implemented by the regional government.
The protocol, announced last Thursday and backed by Coalición Canaria and Partido Popular, introduces a series of procedural changes that, in practice, could delay the immediate attention and care provided to unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents who seek protection. These new measures require individualized identification of minors, registration in the Register of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (RMENA), and an administrative resolution issued by the State before these vulnerable children can access the community's protection centers.
According to officials in the Canary Islands Government, the objective of this comprehensive plan is to streamline a process that has faced criticism for its apparent disorder. They argue that a more structured approach is necessary to ensure the immediate care and protection of these minors. However, the Ministry of Youth and Childhood has raised significant concerns regarding the implications of this protocol. The Ministry's representatives caution that the introduction of these requirements may undermine the rights of children and adolescents who are in vulnerable situations and require urgent attention.
The Ministry warns of the potential risks associated with these added procedural steps, highlighting that they may inadvertently delay access to crucial support services for unaccompanied minors. Sira Rego, a representative from the Ministry, has indicated that this development could jeopardize the rights and welfare of children in scenarios of abandonment, raising alarm bells among child welfare advocates and legal authorities.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the Council of State will respond to the Government's concerns and what actions, if any, will be taken by the Constitutional Court in response to this conflict of competencies. The implications of this protocol could have lasting effects on the treatment and care of unaccompanied minors in the Canary Islands, underlining the ongoing debate over balancing procedural order with safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable populations.
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