COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION CONCLUDES GENERAL DISCUSSION ON REPORT OF SPAIN
Press Release
RD/861
COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION CONCLUDES GENERAL DISCUSSION ON REPORT OF SPAIN
19960315 (Delayed in transmission.)GENEVA, 8 March (UN Information Service) -- The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concluded its general discussion on the report of Spain by receiving additional information on the situation of Gypsies and on provisions concerning immigration and the fight against racial discrimination in Spain.
Members of the expert panel, in charge of monitoring the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, expressed concern over the access of Gypsies to education. Several members also raised questions regarding the right of minorities to receive an education in their own language; and the situation with respect to the 14,000 Muslims living in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa.
Discussion of Report of Spain
Responding to questions posed by Committee members yesterday, ISABEL VEVIA ROMERO, Technical Adviser of the Sub-Directorate General for International Legal Cooperation of Spain, highlighted the importance accorded by the authorities to the situation of the Gypsies, who were often the subject of studies aimed at achieving a better understanding of their condition.
MANUEL PORRAS MUÑOZ, of the Ministry for Social Affairs, said that according to the latest studies, there were 406,168 Gypsies in Spain. Of these, 38.8 per cent were in Andalusia; 8.8 per cent in the Madrid region; 7.8 per cent in Cataluña; 7.9 per cent in the region of Valencia; 5 per cent in Castilla-la Mancha; and 1.8 per cent in the Basque Country. He pointed out that Gypsies often settled around large cities.
Concerning the Government's Gypsy Development Plan, the delegation indicated that the most significant results since it entered into force in 1989 were in the area of social programmes for educational assistance, which had improved access to the education system and reduced the failure rate and the number of school-leavers. Also, rehousing programmes were now subject to better coordination, while training schemes helped Gypsies of both sexes to
become more qualified. Furthermore, the Government had provided an impetus for an increase in the amount of resources allocated to the Gypsy community by public bodies. Gypsies had also been encouraged to take part in public life and to form associations. Follow-up of the Plan was assured by the Government, the governments of the country's 17 autonomous communities and local authorities. Between 1989 and 1995, 1,150 programmes had been financed within this framework.
Mr. PORRAS MUÑOZ also highlighted that the Plan had permitted the mobilization of efforts on the part of the public and private sectors in order to practise positive discrimination aimed at improving the employment situation of the Gypsy community. Programmes had also been put in place in favour of Gypsy women, particularly in the areas of nutrition, hygiene, family planning and access to adequate housing. The Government was in constant touch with the General Council of Gypsies in order to encourage the creation of representative associations. The Plan had contributed to the emergence of a more positive image of Gypsies and their culture. A close eye was kept on the media in order to eliminate pejorative comments or clichés about Gypsies and other groups. The same was done with regard to school books.
Guardia Civil officers received training to raise their awareness of the rights of Gypsies and foreigners, he continued. A number of local police officers were of Gypsy origin.
JOSÉ RAMON APARICIO GOMEZ, of the Ministry for Social Affairs, said the Government and all political parties had elaborated a policy to combat racial discrimination. With regard the immigration, the Parliament had asked the Government in 1991 to apply a policy aimed at developing cooperation with the countries of origin of migrants so that migratory flows could be adjusted to the country's needs and its capacity for integration. The Government had put in place a plan for the social integration of foreigners as an element in the fight against discrimination and to ensure for them a stable social situation. Measures had also been taken in conjunction with the autonomous communities in order to promote multicultural initiatives for the integration of foreigners and cultural minorities. Thus, in 1994, a number of subsidies went to fund activities aimed at encouraging respect and racial tolerance.
Spain's new immigration law simplified application procedures, extended the maximum period for temporary stays and facilitated family reunification, he went on to say. Foreign workers, of which there were 119,321 in 1994, enjoyed the same rights as Spanish workers. The low rate of acceptance of requests for asylum was due to the fact that most asylum-seekers wished to enter Spain for economic reasons.
As for the situation in Ceuta and Melilla, YOLANDA MARTINEZ CANO-CORTES, of the Ministry of Justice and the Interior, said the native Muslim populations in the enclaves was 14,000. They had privileges other Muslims did
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not enjoy. Concerning the substantial number of Africans detained in a provisional camp in Ceuta after attempting to enter Spain illegally, they had been transferred to the peninsula and placed in reception centres run by government-subsidized non-governmental organizations.
The delegation then provided further information on the new Spanish Penal Code. Under the new provisions, racial motivation constituted an aggravating factor in the commission of a crime. The Spanish legal order also contained several provisions prescribing sanctions against incitement to discrimination and the spreading of racist ideas. As for the disparity between the figures on racist acts provided by the Government and those of non-governmental organizations, the delegation said it could be due to the fact that the administration only counted cases that were filed and closed according to applicable legal definitions.
EDUARDO FERRERO COSTA, Committee member and rapporteur for the report of Spain, said he regretted that the delegation had not given precise answers to the members' questions regarding the numerous reported acts of racist violence. He had also not received an answer concerning the Government's policy to confront racist and neo-Nazi organizations, whether clandestine or not. He wished to see answers to those questions in Spain's next report to the Committee, due in 1998.
Other Committee members expressed concern regarding the access of Gypsies to education. Experts also raised questions concerning the right of minorities to receive an education in their own language; and the situation with respect to the 14,000 Muslims of the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa, who did not have full Spanish citizenship.
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