As a result of the power outage, the need for mental health care in the Ca\u00f1ada Real area has increased fivefold. The lack of electricity limits access to basic rights, generating serious physical and psychological impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based on the testimonies of the population residing in sectors 6, 5 and 4 of La Ca\u00f1ada (144 adults and 152 children and adolescents), we identified damages to basic needs for living, physical and mental health, as well as community cohesion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since October 2020, thousands of families in Ca\u00f1ada Real have suffered from a lack of electricity, particularly affecting those living in sectors 5 and 6. The neighborhood has been forced to resort to all sorts of alternative means of survival, such as using firewood, candles, generators, or gas stoves. This struggle has meant that many families have had to cope with respiratory infections, burns, fires, falls, and other accidents, as well as experiencing feelings of fear and uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To address this situation, the residents of Ca\u00f1ada Real, along with various individuals, neighborhood and cultural associations, and organizations belonging to the Civic Platform "Light Now for Ca\u00f1ada Real," have undertaken different legal, political, and advocacy strategies to demand the restoration of electricity. The latest was a collective complaint filed with the European Committee of Social Rights, signed by the Trade Union Confederation of the Workers' Commissions (CCOO), the European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA), Defense for Children International (DCI), the ATD Fourth World International Movement, and European Magistrates for Democracy and Freedoms (MEDEL). The Committee ruled in favor of Ca\u00f1ada Real and urged Spain to take the necessary measures to guarantee access to electricity. However, the government responded by downplaying the severity of the damage. It is at this point that the Sira Center was asked to assess, through a report, the psychosocial impacts this situation is having on the residents.\u00a0From that expert document, the report emerges\u201cLa Ca\u00f1ada Responds<\/a>\u201d, in collaboration with the Community Action Group (GAC).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The publication highlights damage to basic survival functions, such as the deterioration of\u00a0personal hygiene,<\/strong>\u00a0of the living conditions in the home, or of the\u00a0feeding<\/strong>, As a result, residents are unable to keep food refrigerated or cook using electricity. The neighborhood's economic capacity has been diminished by the expenses incurred to compensate for the lack of power. For 8 out of 10 residents interviewed, purchasing generators, batteries, firewood, or warm clothing makes it much harder to make ends meet. This situation has directly impacted the community's health, with reports of anxiety, sleep disturbances, and respiratory illnesses. Many people with chronic conditions also face the challenge of keeping medications refrigerated or carrying heavy loads.\u00a0medical devices<\/strong>, which are dependent on light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the power outage, nearly half of those interviewed reported needing mental health support: 90.21% felt\u00a0sadness\u00a0<\/strong>habitually; 82.7% feels\u00a0rage\u00a0<\/strong>due to feelings of injustice, powerlessness, and discrimination; and 68.2% experience\u00a0fear\u00a0<\/strong>because they don't know what will happen to their homes, their health, their future, and their families' well-being. The report highlights that 15.71% of respondents have ideas about\u00a0suicide\u00a0<\/strong>continuously, directly linked to the lack of electricity supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of the total number of people interviewed,\u00a09 out of 10 report feeling that the deprivation of electricity supply directly attacks their dignity as a person<\/strong>, While 5 out of 10 report having suffered discrimination from professionals in institutions, state security forces, or neighboring towns. \u201cI have no words to describe how complicated everything is being from Ca\u00f1ada Real. Just having that address on your ID card leads to discrimination in everything. It doesn't matter where you go,\u201d says one of the people interviewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n