Diagnostic study: Tú También (You too)

Spain

Dec 18

FAMSI

Overview

The diagnostic study is part of the #TÚTAMBIÉN / أيضا أنت# project. The document seeks to understand the mobility of children, adolescents and youth by focusing on the socio-community intervention of local governments in Andalusia and northern Morocco; it is part of the project of the same name that seeks to improve inclusion, especially of unaccompanied minor migrants and young people in exile, through education for development, training, exchange of experiences, capacity building and international partnerships.

Forty-two interviews allowed for the reflections of the technical teams of five local governments in Morocco, three in the Tangiers-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region (communes of Martil, Larache and Tetouan) and two in the Oriental region (communes of Nador and Oujda), six municipalities in Andalusia (municipalities of Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Las Cabezas de San Juan, Écija, Seville and Jaén), the Mancomunidad de Municipios del Campo de Gibraltar (province of Cádiz) and the Diputación de Huelva.

With the aim of adding transnational protection mechanisms to the local approach, international entities that play a central role in the promotion of the protection of children, adolescents and young people in migratory processes have also participated in the study. The objective is to articulate actions that place rights at the centre of priorities and overcome xenophobic and racist discourses, with measures to safeguard, protect and defend the rights of children, adolescents and youth.

Expected Impact

The diagnostic analyses the situation of these population groups at origin, and identifies a series of circumstances derived from the systematisation of the testimonies provided by local governments, entities and institutions. These include: persistent migratory realities, with a history of over 20 years; there is a need to improve the mechanisms for accessing accurate official figures on the number of minors outside the protection system, contrasting the data from the Register of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors with those of the General Commissariat for Foreigners and Borders; the terminology used to denote these minors does not reflect the diversity of the group.
As opposed to "unaccompanied foreign minors", we propose the perspective of Amina Bargach, psychiatrist and president of the Atlàntida-Marroc Association, who defines children who migrate as "social beings with complex social networks", thus alluding to the socialisation processes that take place in the social system of origin and reception.