Two of the three minors who arrived in Menorca by boat "can't even walk."
One of the migrants has been re-admitted, while the other two reside in the Children's Home.
PalmThe Minister of Social Welfare of the Menorca Council, Carmen Reynés, reported this Wednesday that two of the three minors who were rescued last Saturday in a small boat 35 miles off the island's coast "can't even walk." "They arrived in a very delicate physical condition and extremely weak. All were discharged from the hospital, but tonight one of the minors was readmitted. Regarding their psychological state, it can be said to be somewhat worrying," said the island official.
The other two minors are currently in the Children's Home, under the care of professionals from the Child and Family Care Center, who offer them ongoing psychological support. "At this time, our top priority is their recovery. We are in constant contact with the IB-Salut, which is monitoring the minors' medical status," she stated before emphasizing that, in parallel and in coordination with the Public Prosecutor's Office, tests are being carried out to determine their age. "If it is confirmed that they are minors, they will be placed under the guardianship of the Consell (Consell) and will reside in the reception center," she emphasized.
The Menorca Council currently has a Children's Home, with capacity for 14 minors, and a reception center with 10 more places. "With the arrival of these three minors, the current capacity reaches its limit, with 21 places occupied," Reynés indicated.
The councilor explained that, along with the three minors, there were eight other men on the boat from countries such as Nigeria, Cameroon, and Mali. "These minors have spent 15 days sailing, without food, without drinking water, drinking salt water, and seeing how some of their companions did not survive the journey. These are traumas that will mark their lives forever, and meanwhile, the Spanish government only makes threats," she criticized.
"Their only measure is a distribution among certain communities, with funding limited to just three months, which makes it impossible to guarantee decent reception conditions. This route between Algeria and the Balearic Islands is already very consolidated, and the care and reception services are overwhelmed," he said.
In this context, she stressed that we are talking about "a distribution without guarantees: we do not know when, how, or under what conditions the minors arrive, which prevents us from planning a dignified reception and being able to care for them in the best possible way. At the sector conference they did not give a response, nor will they give a response or formulate one.
The counselor has reaffirmed the request to the Spanish government to declare a migratory contingency situation in the Balearic Islands in view of the constant increase in the arrival of migrant minors to the coasts of the Archipelago.
Finally, she described as "unacceptable" that Pedro Sánchez's executive "does not promote migration policies in the countries of origin to avoid these tragedies." "We also demand the suspension of the distribution while the appeals presented before the Constitutional Court are resolved, in addition to requesting the intervention of Frontex to guarantee border control," she concluded.
