Serious allegations against staff at a centre for unaccompanied migrant children are proving highly embarrassment for the Canarian government, with news of their plight reaching foreign media.
Police visited the Emena La Fortaleza I centre in Santa Brígida (Gran Canaria) on Monday on the orders of a judge who is investigating alleged abuse and other offences said to have been committed by workers.
Within hours of the visit, the centre was ordered to close and nine members of staff were taken in for questioning in connection with reports that dozens of young, mainly African, migrants were being persistently mistreated and humiliated.
The Canarian government, which is legally responsible for the care of all under-18s arriving in the islands by boat from Africa, was ordered to take the necessary steps to ensure the youngsters’ protection and wellbeing until the investigation into goings on at the centre is finalised.
Details of the specific offences said to have been committed by staff, together with probes into serious failings in the running of the centre, have not been released.
However, the confidential nature of the proceedings has not prevented high-profile media outlets such as The Guardian from giving extensive coverage to the court intervention this week.
The allegations come at a time when, as reported here extensively of late, bitter wrangling between the Canarian government and the central government in Madrid continues to prevent the onward distribution to other parts of Spain of hundreds of unaccompanied minors currently in the care of the authorities here.
The stalemate has led Amnesty International Spain to publicly denounce the plight of the youngsters as many Spanish regions continue to refuse to accept their share of the current numbers and the unaccompanied minors are forced to stay in overcrowded facilities which are not suitable to accommodate them.
