The least heard people in the debate about unaccompanied migrant children are the children themselves who, for example, arrive in the Canary Islands. And if they were listened to, their tears, their dreams, their difficulties or the reason for a movement that is not always desired would be heard. The roar of uprooting would be heard. The deaf sound of the silence of terrifying loneliness. The new, misunderstood language. The new rules and the not always kind looks that stalk them in case they make a mistake.
We are witnessing the attempt at social polarization around a false debate between hatred and solidarity when what must be put on the table is responsibility. With the accumulated experience as a Social Worker in the care and protection of migrant people, I want to offer you an approach to what some of you call MENA.
MENA is a label that the Spanish State, and therefore the European Union, uses to classify Minors (M) Foreigners (E) Not (N) Accompanied (A) who arrive in our territory through the only viable route for their possibilities: by boat and entering the State irregularly. Thus, we use the word MENA to define them and not see beyond a category that is instrumentalized on many occasions to foment hatred among the local population.
With my 15 years of experience in social work I can affirm that the "MENAs" are above all children, adolescents or young people who come irregularly, but without their father and without their mother. With this, I ask the gentlemen and ladies who promote hatred, and all those who follow their doctrines, if they have been with one of those children when he cries because he wants to return with his mother; if they have been there when he wakes up during the night because he suffers the nightmares of a boat trip in which he was about to die; or if they have heard their experiences when in their countries of origin they have been used as child soldiers. Because before any label we put on them, we must not forget that they are people. And no, they do not come because they want to enjoy or commit crimes, but because the alternative they have left is to be a street child, an addict to substance use or a child soldier. They come because it is the opportunity for something different and necessary that opens up before their lives.
And what do they find in Spain? In short, a reception system that is not prepared for their expectations. A reality totally different from what they have been sold, which leads to frustration, to the mourning of moving away from their families, and to the pressures of not being able to fulfill the social obligations that mark them from their departure. Have you ever wondered how long these boys and girls spend without seeing their families? How much do they cry for not being able to be present at the deaths of their relatives, or the pressure they receive from their relatives to send them money to survive?
Spain does not offer them an easy life. They do not have a payment of €150 or live like kings. These lies that are said about them only seek to generate hatred. And I am aware that some of them commit crimes, but that is what justice is for. Furthermore, crime is not an exclusive problem of the "MENAs"; juvenile delinquency is a structural problem that in Spain should have been addressed for many years, and that is given by a restorative justice approach that is ineffectively implemented.
In short, I encourage reflection on the part of Canarian society, characterized by its solidarity.
Because the "MENAs" are not to blame for a weak and unstrategic immigration policy; they are not responsible for the fact that decent living conditions are not offered in their countries; they are not responsible for the fact that their wealth is plundered; because everyone has the right to seek a better life; because in their case, what would you do?
By Daisy Villalba Perdomo, Social Worker and member of Nueva Canarias.
