In Spain, there are differences between the autonomous regions, for example in health and education.
While investment in social protection measures remains below the European average, national indicators of social exclusion, poverty and inequality have risen. It should also be noted that Spain is still suffering from the consequences of the 2008 financial crisis. Spain does well in the area of health, where the committee found almost no room for improvement. However, a major problem has been found in the area of migration and the situation of refugees, especially in the exclaves, where the basic rights of children are not respected.

Gender stereotypes are persistent in the education system, including in school curricula and textbooks.

The Committee urges the State party to fully implement a human rights-based approach to disability that ensures equal access to good-quality inclusive education in mainstream schools for children with disabilities. Spain should ensure that children with disabilities have access to health care, including early detection and intervention programmes.

The Committee recommends that the State party increase the number of paediatricians and ensure that general practitioners providing health services to children acquire additional specialized skills and expertise relating to and receive further training on child and adolescent care.

Psychologists are available in all public schools. The Committee recommends to reduce excessively long response times for access to mental health services for children and increase the availability of services. It also recommends to address the increased diagnosis of ADHD and other behavioural specificities, and the use of drug treatments for the children diagnosed.

The Committee recommends that the State party carry out an assessment of the impact of air pollution from coal-fired power plants on children’s health and on the climate as a basis for designing a well-resourced strategy to remedy the situation, and strictly regulate maximum air-pollutant emissions, including those by produced private businesses.

The Committee recommends to establish and implement regulations to ensure that the business sector, including in the context of public procurement, fulfils the rights of the child.

The Committee recommends to expedite the court proceedings in sexual abuse cases involving child victims, in order to reduce the period of time for which they must wait before testifying. They also recommend to increase the number of specialized judges for children and ensure the availability of specialized juvenile court facilities and child-friendly procedures.

The Committee is seriously concerned that the level of investment in children by the State party has not been high enough to offset the negative impact of the severe economic and social crisis that began in 2008 and that has led to increased poverty and social inequality.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that children born through international surrogacy have access to information about their origins.