Romani settlement in Spain becomes national controversy

03 April 1999

Approximately 400 Roma from Romania became the focus of national press coverage when public officials began to take an interest in the settlement they have established in Fuencarral, several kilo-metres from Madrid. Most of the Roma in the settlement are seeking asylum in Spain. The Spanish daily El Pais reported on February 17 that Ombudsman for Children's Rights Mr Urra had visited the camp and determined that the 170 children among four hundred or so individuals in the settlement are living in squalid conditions. The nearest source of water is approximately one kilometre away, there are no sanitary facilities, and rats have appeared in the camp. Roma in the camp live in vans and tents and their children do not attend school. They sometimes beg to earn money. Mr Urra went on to state that more persons were living in the camp than had been one year ago when the camp first opened. Mr Urra suggested that the regional government should act quickly to improve infrastructure for non-natives. On February 19, El Pais reported that representatives of left wing opposition parties had criticised the Madrid regional government for conditions in the settlement. On the basis of previous experience, activists in Spain fear that, following a national scandal, pretexts will be used to remove the Roma from the country.

(El Pais, ERRC)