On Friday, the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Families presented the ‘Persones refugiades, persones benvingudes’ awareness campaign, which “aims to appeal to the Catalan people’s support of asylum and international protection seekers”, explained Minister Bassa in a press conference with the Secretary for Equality, Migrations and Citizenship, Oriol Amorós, and the Committee on the Reception of Refugees coordinator, Àngel Miret.

 

The Generalitat currently has 1,216 accommodation vacancies for refugees distributed throughout 43 Catalan locations, but only 419 are being through by the Spanish state’s Welcome and Integration Programme. According to the Minister, this shortage is the direct result of the Spanish government’s obstruction and “inaction” in the matter. Despite the difficulties posed by the central government, the Secretariat for Equality, Immigration and Citizenship has put forward over one hundred different resources for asylum seekers, including volunteer services, accommodation, open facilities and training for their integration and the subsequent stages of their reception in Catalonia.

 

 

 

The campaign will run through October 4^th until the end of the year and will be broadcasted through television, radio and social media.

 

The campaign features students of Barcelona-based school who write to children in refugee camps and invite them to Catalonia. The best letter was selected and used for the awareness campaign.

 

The initiative was launched under the framework of the Committee on the Reception of Refugees, which for the past year has integrated several Ministries of the Catalan Government, local initiatives and the main organisations working with refugees.