The situation that unfolded in a children's camp in Spain, which was organized by fraudsters and as a result children found themselves in unbearable conditions, has not yet been resolved. This was reported by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets in his Telegram channel, UNN reports.
"According to their parents, the children's vacation in Spain has turned into a risk to their lives and health. The situation is still not resolved! I recently reported on the situation that unfolded in a children's camp in Spain. I received an appeal from parents whose children were in the Star Time Camp children's vacation camp in Orjiva, Spain," Lubinets wrote.
The Ombudsman noted that parents had sent their children to a camp abroad for a vacation, but the trip turned into even more stress for them.
"I responded to the parents' appeal regarding this situation and acted within my mandate to protect the rights and best interests of the children," he said.
Lubinets described the chronology of events.
"According to the information received from the parents, since July 6, 2024, the children have not been in touch, and there has been no communication with the camp administration. The parents reported unsatisfactory conditions for the children in the camp with violations of sanitary standards, lack of access to toilets, drinking water, and food. After receiving the appeal, I instructed my Representative in the Kingdom of Spain, Lucia Zadorozhna, to take the necessary response measures," Lubinets said.
On July 7, according to him, Lucia Zadorozhna, the Consul of Ukraine in Malaga Svitlana Kramarenko and Consul Bas Olga visited the camp and found numerous violations of sanitary standards for children. The head of the institution undertook to eliminate the shortcomings by July 9.
"I have sent an appeal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine with a request to instruct the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Spain to take all necessary response measures. At the same time, I have prepared an appeal to the Ombudsman of the Kingdom of Spain with a request to take the situation under personal control. The response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine of July 18 stated that repeated visits to the camp were conducted on July 11 and 13. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the children were provided with everything they needed and that no complaints had been received from them, and that the local police and the Spanish Civil Guard had been contacted and reported that no violations had been recorded," the Ombudsman said.
У Варшаві відкрили літній табір для українських дітей02.07.24, 12:52
According to him, the Foreign Ministry's response stated that the co-owner of the facility, a citizen of Ukraine, said that "parents who were not fully satisfied with the conditions of stay received compensation of €500, and parents who were completely dissatisfied took their children and received a full refund for unused vacation days.
"This response looks rather strange, because at the same time, as of July 31, I received more than 20 appeals from parents of children who were in this camp to ensure the protection of their children's violated rights, and proceedings have been opened," Lubinets wrote.
Mr. Lubinets also said that he received reproaches that he could not be contacted to explain the situation because of his personal phone number.
"I am surprised by this 'accusation' because my own number is not an official communication channel," Lubinets said.
According to him, on July 24, he received a response from the Ombudsman of the Kingdom of Spain. He noted that he is ready to assist and involve everyone who can resolve this situation as much as possible, and work is underway.
"In their appeals, parents point to the lack of safe conditions for children in the camp. The applicants note that they have supporting photos and videos. One of the appeals states that on July 6, the children had headaches and nausea, and it was very hot for the children because there were no windows in the glamps," Lubinets said.
According to one applicant, it was impossible to contact the camp administration to get help. Some of the parents inform in their appeals that their children are expelled from the camp
"My Representative noted that as of July 23, the parents had hired a lawyer and wanted to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of 80 parents with the Spanish prosecutor's office. We are waiting for the implementation of the recommendations from the state authorities," Lubinets wrote.