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Aquarius migrants dock in Valencia
17/06/2018
THE migrant rescue ship Aquarius has docked in Valencia after an arduous nine-day voyage in which volunteers and the 629 asylum-seekers on board were fast running out of food.
First to arrive were 274 passengers on the Italian coastguard craft, the Dattilo, and the remainder followed on the Aquarius itself.
A team of 2,320 health workers, interpreters and volunteers were waiting for them on the shore, and they are gradually being evaluated individually, given health checks and identified.
Most of them are from sub-Saharan Africa and mainly seeking refuge from extreme poverty, war, political conflict or persecution, although some may be looking for a better life in general.
They were said to be singing, whooping and cheering as the port of Valencia came into view.
Italy's new far-right coalition government had refused to take any of the migrants, sending them to Malta, which also denied them access. But a week into his new role as president of Spain, socialist Pedro Sánchez offered to resettle them on national soil.
Many regional governments championed the move, especially that of Valencia which has long complained it has been ready and waiting to take in refugees but that none were heading its way.
Those who arrived first were considered to be the most vulnerable – six pregnant women, around a dozen children and teenagers and 20 or so with burns suffered through a mixture of boat fuel and sea water.
All those who had been rescued by the Aquarius crew had been attempting to reach Europe on overcrowded, unseaworthy boats, often in the hands of mafia-style human traffickers, and were found drowning or sinking by aid workers in the Mediterranean.
Among the 274 on the Dattilo, a total of 60 were unaccompanied minors, including eight girls, and aid workers say 85 of the passengers suffered health issues, although none of them was in a serious condition.
The first migrant to touch down and go through the check-up and identification process was a 29-year-old man from the world's youngest country, South Sudan, which has been stricken by armed conflict practically since its partition from Sudan.
Charity workers say the 629 are of 26 different nationalities.
Those who need medical attention straight away or have pre-existing conditions that need medication, monitoring or treatment will instantly be given a SIP, or healthcare card, whilst the others will gradually obtain theirs as they come into contact with the health system, such as when they first need to see a GP.
Arrivals who do not need immediate medical attention are taken to a separate 'incident room' set up by the Red Cross where they will be given support and questioned by counsellors.
A team of English, French and Arabic translators and interpreters are on hand, as well as another specialist group to attend to different religious and cultural needs.
“The aim is that none of them has to go through their arrival alone,” the Red Cross says.
Next, the migrants will be registered with the National Police, giving them a temporary 45-day humanitarian visa, and then they will be handed over to various charities and institutions run by the ministry of work, migrations and social security.
They will be taken to accommodation chosen based upon their needs – foster care for unaccompanied children, and shelters, hotels or residential homes for families.
No family will be broken up, authorities promise.
Among the 629, it has so far been estimated that about 100 are children – seven of them are under five, another four are under 13, a further 28 are aged 13 to 15 and 61 are between 15 and 17 – and that 89 of them are travelling alone.
About 80 so far are women, of whom between seven and nine are believed to be pregnant.
A refugee attention team has been set up in Valencia including 400 interpreters and translators – 70 of whom are sworn translators – plus 356 National Police officers, 150 members of the regional ministry of health, 15 from the central government health ministry, 120 regional police officers, 100 Guardia Civil officers and 1,000 or so Red Cross volunteers.
All individuals or family groups will be assigned an interpreter for their legal and administration, healthcare and general resettling needs, and emergency service coordinators and coach companies have been brought in by Valencia city hall.
French president Emmanuel Macron has been in contact with Spain and offered to take in any migrants who, having gone through the initial asylum process, express a desire to live in France. Given the number of French-speaking countries in Africa and the fact that many of these are unsafe, at war or suffering severe poverty, a large proportion of the Valencia migrants may be from these nations and keen to take up the option to live in France, where the language would not be a barrier and where there is an established three-generation community of residents of African or pied-noir origin.
Spain's refugee resettlement protocol includes State-funded housing and maintenance, healthcare, education – including language tuition, professional conversion or training and schooling for children – cultural and sporting activities, translation, interpreting and legal services, and mental health and counselling services.
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THE migrant rescue ship Aquarius has docked in Valencia after an arduous nine-day voyage in which volunteers and the 629 asylum-seekers on board were fast running out of food.
First to arrive were 274 passengers on the Italian coastguard craft, the Dattilo, and the remainder followed on the Aquarius itself.
A team of 2,320 health workers, interpreters and volunteers were waiting for them on the shore, and they are gradually being evaluated individually, given health checks and identified.
Most of them are from sub-Saharan Africa and mainly seeking refuge from extreme poverty, war, political conflict or persecution, although some may be looking for a better life in general.
They were said to be singing, whooping and cheering as the port of Valencia came into view.
Italy's new far-right coalition government had refused to take any of the migrants, sending them to Malta, which also denied them access. But a week into his new role as president of Spain, socialist Pedro Sánchez offered to resettle them on national soil.
Many regional governments championed the move, especially that of Valencia which has long complained it has been ready and waiting to take in refugees but that none were heading its way.
Those who arrived first were considered to be the most vulnerable – six pregnant women, around a dozen children and teenagers and 20 or so with burns suffered through a mixture of boat fuel and sea water.
All those who had been rescued by the Aquarius crew had been attempting to reach Europe on overcrowded, unseaworthy boats, often in the hands of mafia-style human traffickers, and were found drowning or sinking by aid workers in the Mediterranean.
Among the 274 on the Dattilo, a total of 60 were unaccompanied minors, including eight girls, and aid workers say 85 of the passengers suffered health issues, although none of them was in a serious condition.
The first migrant to touch down and go through the check-up and identification process was a 29-year-old man from the world's youngest country, South Sudan, which has been stricken by armed conflict practically since its partition from Sudan.
Charity workers say the 629 are of 26 different nationalities.
Those who need medical attention straight away or have pre-existing conditions that need medication, monitoring or treatment will instantly be given a SIP, or healthcare card, whilst the others will gradually obtain theirs as they come into contact with the health system, such as when they first need to see a GP.
Arrivals who do not need immediate medical attention are taken to a separate 'incident room' set up by the Red Cross where they will be given support and questioned by counsellors.
A team of English, French and Arabic translators and interpreters are on hand, as well as another specialist group to attend to different religious and cultural needs.
“The aim is that none of them has to go through their arrival alone,” the Red Cross says.
Next, the migrants will be registered with the National Police, giving them a temporary 45-day humanitarian visa, and then they will be handed over to various charities and institutions run by the ministry of work, migrations and social security.
They will be taken to accommodation chosen based upon their needs – foster care for unaccompanied children, and shelters, hotels or residential homes for families.
No family will be broken up, authorities promise.
Among the 629, it has so far been estimated that about 100 are children – seven of them are under five, another four are under 13, a further 28 are aged 13 to 15 and 61 are between 15 and 17 – and that 89 of them are travelling alone.
About 80 so far are women, of whom between seven and nine are believed to be pregnant.
A refugee attention team has been set up in Valencia including 400 interpreters and translators – 70 of whom are sworn translators – plus 356 National Police officers, 150 members of the regional ministry of health, 15 from the central government health ministry, 120 regional police officers, 100 Guardia Civil officers and 1,000 or so Red Cross volunteers.
All individuals or family groups will be assigned an interpreter for their legal and administration, healthcare and general resettling needs, and emergency service coordinators and coach companies have been brought in by Valencia city hall.
French president Emmanuel Macron has been in contact with Spain and offered to take in any migrants who, having gone through the initial asylum process, express a desire to live in France. Given the number of French-speaking countries in Africa and the fact that many of these are unsafe, at war or suffering severe poverty, a large proportion of the Valencia migrants may be from these nations and keen to take up the option to live in France, where the language would not be a barrier and where there is an established three-generation community of residents of African or pied-noir origin.
Spain's refugee resettlement protocol includes State-funded housing and maintenance, healthcare, education – including language tuition, professional conversion or training and schooling for children – cultural and sporting activities, translation, interpreting and legal services, and mental health and counselling services.
Related Topics
You may also be interested in ...
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