The Canary Islands government is facing serious accusations of child abandonment if it refuses to take in unaccompanied child migrants.
The islands recently implemented a new protocol that makes the process for welcoming them stricter.
Under these new rules, children will face police reports and individual interviews which can delay them being moved to specialised care centres.
In response, the region’s chief prosecutor, Maria Farnes Martínez, has issued a decree on Friday instructing prosecutors to intervene if the government fails to take in these vulnerable children.
According to the prosecutor, these delays could lead to the government being charged with the crime of child abandonment.
She has reminded local authorities that they need to ensure minors are provided with necessary protection and accommodation until they are taken in by the regional government.
In her decree, Martínez outlines a series of steps that prosecutors must follow when dealing with cases of unaccompanied minors arriving on the Canary Islands.
These include documenting the circumstances of each case and ensuring that the government is fulfilling its obligations to protect vulnerable children.
As part of that, authorities must be aware of whether the child is part of a family unit, if they arrived with a parent, relative, or guardian, details of their journey, and their health status.
The prosecutor’s warning comes amid a continuing influx of migrant minors to the Canary Islands.
The region has seen a significant increase in the number of unaccompanied children arriving by sea in recent years.
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