Around 5,000 Ukrainians could have arrived in Catalonia

The Catalan government has increased the possible number of Ukrainian refugees in the territory to 5,000 people, as spokesperson Patricia Plaja said on Thursday evening during a press conference. 

On Wednesday, there were 1,700 refugees registered in official data, but the "real" number of Ukrainians "could be much higher." The Catalan executive is already working to "organize all the available metrics." 

"People has to take into account that a lot of women and children get in touch with their contacts, such as family or friends, when they arrive in Catalonia, instead of contacting the public administration," Plaja said. 

So far, those who have reached authorities are already under supervision as the Catalan cabinet wants to guarantee "all their rights, such as public health, education, etc," and not only "emergency housing," the spokesperson explained.  

Ukrainians are arriving by car, bus, train, and at least 200 of them have come to Catalonia by plane. Most of them are women with children. Some have relatives or acquaintances in Catalonia that will take them in.

Catalonia will have one of the three largest reception centers for Ukrainians in Spain. The Spanish migration minister told Spanish radio station RNE on Monday that Madrid and Alacant (Alicante) will also have welcome centers, saying the three locations were "close to the main networks of the Ukrainian community," although the exact municipalities have not been disclosed.

Those willing to host minors without guardians have to start the process by sending an email to dgaia.dso@gencat.cat. This is an email address to get in touch with Catalonia's child and teenager care department (DGAIA).

The government's equality department has also set up an email address for Ukrainians arriving in Catalonia: comiteacollida.igualtat@gencat.cat. Psychological help, interpreters, and legal advice are offered through this email address and the 012 hotline.

The email address icab.ucraina@icab.cat, set up by Barcelona's lawyers association (ICAB), is also available to provide legal advice for Ukrainians wanting to move to Catalonia. This is part of ICAB's 'Ukrainian Population Assistance', providing legal help not only to potential refugees but also to NGOs and organizations willing to help in the region.