The Supreme Court recently ordered the Ministry of Interior to grant asylum to a Cameroonian man who claimed to be persecuted in his country because of his homosexuality. The UN Agency for Refugees UNHCR and the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid commented that LGTBI asylum seekers face additional obstacles in getting a positive response for their application in Spain. This case is considered an illustration of the high percentage of denials of international protection on grounds of sexual orientation and gender diversity. Read more

In May 2016, Amnesty International already reported that the Spanish refugee reception system is arbitrary, discriminatory and in the light of international standards, ineffective. It added that the Spanish Asylum Act is obsolete. The organisation assures that, with this system, asylum seekers in Spain are at risk of destitution from public support in medium term. 

In the report Asylum in Spain: an unwelcoming system, the international NGO denounces loopholes in the current legislation and that facilities such as the Centers for Temporary Stay of Immigrants in Ceuta and Melilla are a 'limbo' in which refugees live in overcrowded conditions, deprived of freedom of movement to which they are entitled. It is also emphasised that some nationalities have greater difficulties than others when requesting asylum. It notes that there are no systematic interviews and that the aid provided is not adapted to the needs of newcomers. Lastly, the report highlights the lack of training of officials and protocols to detect cases of particular vulnerability such as victims of trafficking or sexual abuse.