The General Directorate of Children's and Adolescents' Rights of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families of the Government of the Canary Islands committed to closing the migrant children's center of the Casa del Mar in Arrecife in May because it did not meet the conditions to host children and adolescents. However, the center is still open and hosting minors. This was reported by the newspaper El País this Friday, with statements from the Prosecutor for Foreign Affairs of Las Palmas, Teseida García.
Specifically, after an inspection carried out by the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office on May 6, the Government of the Canary Islands committed to closing the center within fifteen days, but has not yet done so. "The General Directorate had made the decision to close it, but it has not been closed because an alternative resource has not been found," sources from the Ministry told La Voz.
This situation came to light this Friday, when the report presented by the lawyers Irma Ferrer and Loueila Sid Ahmed denouncing a situation of "child neglect" towards the minors of the center due to the conditions of the resource and the treatment they receive was released.
An alleged physical assault on a minor, the lack of preparation of some employees, punishments, cockroaches in the food and facilities, dirt, lack of furniture and loose cables were some of the reasons that motivated the complaint filed by the two lawyers before the Immigration Section of the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
In addition, the aforementioned document states that "it is generalized, by the team, to treat adolescents with contempt" and exposes racist episodes by the director of the center and part of the team that "treats adolescents with contempt."
In addition, the mental health of the center's users is being diminished by addictions and acute depression. The lawyers expose "the consumption of medications such as Rivotril or Diazepam. Several minors consume anxiolytics with energy and alcoholic beverages as a mechanism to escape."
To conclude, the document also states that the minors "are not schooled, their attendance to class is not controlled and they do not receive training, nor is access to recreational, educational, sports, cultural, etc. activities promoted."
