The Canary Islands government's decision to keep hundreds of unaccompanied migrant children in unregulated emergency shelters puts the children at risk and threatens their well-being (Human Rights Watch)

The 40-page report, "Eternal Emergency: No End to Unaccompanied Migrant Children's Institutionalization in Canary Islands Emergency Centers," says that the centers fail to comply with the Canary Islands government's minimum care standards for migrant children and have no occupancy limits.

Children in the biggest and most secluded emergency center, La Esperanza, receive low-quality food, lack adequate heating, hot water, and blankets, and report frequent violence from other children.

The Canary Islands government says it plans to close down La Esperanza emergency center by December 2010, but so far it has done nothing to improve the situation and african children are about to become the most hard hit victims of Europe's economic crisis

A 16-year-old boy described conditions at La Esperanza: "It is very hard, especially in the winter... of course I'm cold at night. I have one blanket... there is no point to ask for another blanket. They won't give it to you. Nobody has two blankets.... Sometimes it's so cold you can't sleep." 

If you wish to help these children by injecting some ethics in your consumption patterns, DON'T GO ON HOLIDAYS IN THE CANARIES ISLANDS THIS WINTER to force the local governement to comply with human dignity of defenseless children, terrified and coming from all around West Africa

While Spain has declared the plight of unaccompanied migrant children a "priority issue" during its European Union presidency, Spain has done very little if nothing on the field to improve conditions according to all United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child measures.

We urge european tourists from Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, France and all other parts of the world to abstain from going to the Canary Islands this winter in order to pressure the governements (Las Palmas and Madrid) into keeping their word : relief african children who suffer in Canaries Islands rotten jails!