We present the report “Human Rights Violations on Spain’s Southern Border 2021-2022″
We present the report “Human Rights Violations on Spain’s Southern Border 2021-2022 – Institutional racism, borders and migration policy”. This report has been coordinated by Novact and Irídia, along with the collaboration of more than a dozen organizations. It presents a qualitative analysis of the various violations of rights detected in the border between Spain and North Africa.
It also aims to guide entities and institutions at the local and international level to understanding the complex dynamics of human rights violations that take place in the context.
The document focuses on the main violations of rights of migrants who entered the Spanish State irregularly during the years 2021 and 2022, paying special attention to the situation in Ceuta, Melilla, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Andalusia and Murcia, as well as Morocco.
The cornerstone of these rights violations is the lack of legal and safe ways to enter Europe, caused by the impossibility of requesting asylum at border posts or obtaining visas in the countries of origin. This causes people to move along dangerous and deadly sea routes or to take long routes through different countries, to finally try to access Spanish territory by crossing the fences of Ceuta and Melilla. At this particularly critical point, they face situations of violent repression that in many cases end up with pushbacks or their internment in temporary stay centers where severe rights violations are also detected.
Find here the full report and the executive summary.
The report was presented at the “Defense of Human Rights at the Southern Border” conference on May 5th and 6th. During these conferences, several discussions and panels were held to address the various issues related to the reality experienced at the southern border.