International project: Working together against pushbacks in Spain

Background

Since 2019, the route via the Canary Islands has mostly been used by migrants to travel to Spain from countries such as Morocco, Senegal and Mali. Many who attempt the crossing to a safe country die or go missing. According to our partner Caminando Fronteras, the number of missing or deceased amounted to 10,457 in 2024. For those who reach the mainland, Spain is often a transit country on their way to France or Germany, where they have better opportunities to build a new life.

In Spain, discrimination based on nationality is common in the assessment of asylum applications. Spain's migration policy leaves many people who are entitled to asylum outside the protection of the legal system. This makes many migrants vulnerable to exploitation.

What does Caminando Fronteras do?

Since 2002, Caminando Fronteras has been working on Europe's southern and western borders to protect migrants and refugees in transit, for example from pushbacks and deaths at sea. They pay special attention to women and children who have become victims of human trafficking, gender-based violence and forced marriages and children who have been separated from their parents, in cases where for example a parent drowned at sea.

How do we work together?

We share our advocacy expertise, working together to expose pushbacks on Spain's southern borders and the Canary Islands. The Dutch Council for Refugees also supports Caminando Fronteras in developing a new organisational strategy, adopting more efficient project management and expanding knowledge and skills within the team. This improves the quality of their services to refugees and asylum seekers and allows for more effective fundraising, which ultimately also benefits the target group.

Do you what to know more about the recent developments occurring at the Atlantic and Mediterranean routes? Take a look at Caminando's Our Right to Life 2024 report.