The Minister of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood, and Families of the Government of the Canary Islands, Candelaria Delgado, has demanded an increase in funding from the State for the care of unaccompanied migrant minors. She considers the current funds insufficient to address the emergency situation the Archipelago is facing.
During the Sectoral Conference on Childhood and Adolescence, Delgado advocated for an expansion of the State's budget allocation and the recovery of the extraordinary contribution of 100 million euros from last year. She argued that, although the budget extension makes new allocations difficult, there are precedents for additional funding, as occurred with the dependency system.
The minister recalled that the Canary Islands are in a state of migratory contingency, hosting more than triple the number of minors corresponding to them according to distribution criteria. "We are hosting more than triple the 783 minors that would correspond to us according to the distribution criteria, so it is necessary for state funding to adapt to the care reality that the Canary Islands supports," she stated.
Candelaria Delgado also conveyed her concern to the Ministry regarding the implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum. She requested that the State explain how the figure of the child rights defender will be articulated, intended to assist unaccompanied migrant minors from their arrival. She warned of the lack of information on the implementation of this mechanism and who will bear its funding, demanding the participation of the autonomous communities in the model's design.
At the same conference, the Barnahus model for the care of child victims of violence was discussed. The Government of the Canary Islands is developing a roadmap for its implementation with pilot projects and professional training, aligned with Spanish legislation for the comprehensive protection of children (LOPIVI). The Court of Instruction No. 3 of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was a pioneer in Spain for this model.
Based on this experience, the aim is to extend the Barnahus model to all islands, creating coordinated spaces among judges, psychologists, doctors, and social workers. Technical resources such as high-quality recording systems to avoid children having to repeat their testimony and intervention programs with support dogs, which help reduce stress and anxiety during judicial proceedings, will be incorporated.
