Save The Children has called on a new inter-ministerial Committee for Migration in Spain to "focus on the shelter of unaccompanied foreign minors and to reinforce their redistribution across the different regions in the country."

The NGO said this week that, in 2023, 56,852 migrants arrived in Spain via 'irregular' routes, representing an increase of 82% on 2022.

5,151 of these were under the age of 18, more than double the number the previous year, according to figures of the Interior Ministry.

During 2023, over 2,000 children and adolescents reached the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off the Atlantic coast of northwest Africa.

According to the Director of Child Policies for Save The Children, Catalina Perazzo, this increase was due to "the critical situation in the Maghreb region and the nearby countries such as Senegal."

"In addition to the political causes there are food insecurity and climate crisis that increasingly generate migrations," Save the Children added.

New committee to boost focus on minors

Save The Children said the inter-ministerial Committee on Migration is important because "It is necessary to give additional impulse to the crucial topic of the distribution of unaccompanied minors among the autonomous communities."

According to the NGO, the inclusion of minors in society must be facilitated, taking into account that "It is in their best interest, considering issues such as the fact that they do not have relatives or a network on-site."

The committee provides a welcome opportunity to "discuss and promote a global approach to children within migration policies," Save the Children concluded.