E/CN.4/2004/76/Add.2 page 13 had resulted in a decrease in the number of owners; in addition, more migrants had been travelling in a single boat, with the result that the journeys had become more hazardous. In Melilla, the Special Rapporteur was informed that 1,200 cases of fraud are detected every year and that there were problems of corruption within the Moroccan police. 44. The Special Rapporteur suggested to the Minister of the Interior that the first measure that should be taken is to work to ensure that prospective illegal migrants, in their countries of origin, do not put their trust in the criminal networks. According to the Minister, if a deportation policy is not implemented, the migrants will continue to believe what they are told by the “mafias” because they will see that relatives, friends and acquaintances who have left with the help of the mafias have remained in Spain. The Minister stressed the need for a coordinated policy vis-à-vis the countries of origin from which the trafficking networks operate and referred to a proposal made by the Government of Italy within the European Union to establish quotas for legal migration by citizens of countries which cooperate in dismantling the trafficking networks. During her meeting with the Director-General of the Foreigners and Immigration Office, the Special Rapporteur stressed the need to study in greater depth how these networks operate and to investigate possible ramifications of the networks in Spain and other European Union countries; throughout her visit she had only heard from the authorities that the criminal networks came from African, Latin American or Asian countries. C. Detention 45. The Special Rapporteur visited a number of detention centres for foreigners (CIEs). Although the administrative detention of migrants is not of a punitive character, the Special Rapporteur noted that all the centres visited were old prisons which, because of their structure, had serious limitations. She visited the El Matorral centre, where 846 migrants were detained. A number of women whom she interviewed stated that the day of her visit was the first time they had been allowed to go out into the courtyard, since they normally stayed in their rooms. The Special Rapporteur noted that health assistance was provided in all the centres, and was told that that assistance was given in emergency cases and in cases of sickness with very obvious symptoms. She expresses her concern at the fact that no preventive measures are taken in the case of infectious and contagious diseases and that there is no monitoring of possible cases of HIV infection, inter alia. 46. The law ensures that detained immigrants should be given information about administrative and judicial decisions affecting them in a language they understand in all cases in which they are detained for breaches of the Aliens Act. Nevertheless, the Special Rapporteur noted with concern that the detained migrants suffer from a serious lack of information, legal assistance and translation and interpretation services. UNHCR and other organizations expressed concern at the absence of legal assistance or the unsatisfactory nature of assistance, which makes access to asylum difficult. 47. She was also informed that in some communities, although detention must be authorized by the judge, the latter normally confirmed the police proposal without direct contacts with the migrant or visits to the detention centres. According to the same reports, the officially appointed lawyers are often not experts in migration. She was also informed of the lack or limited nature of consular protection. 48. During her visit to La Verneda Centre in Barcelona, the Special Rapporteur interviewed an undocumented Nigerian woman who told her how she had seen her lawyer only once and knew

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