A judicial commission evicted Dulce and her five children, three of whom are minors and one with Down syndrome, from a public housing unit in Moratalaz on Wednesday. The United Nations had requested a precautionary suspension of the eviction.
The eviction took place early in the morning in a property managed by the Social Housing Agency (AVS) of the Community of Madrid, where the family had lived for five years. The mother, Dulce, and her five children —including a child with Down syndrome— were left homeless despite the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child urging the Spanish State to halt the procedure until a suitable housing alternative for the minors could be guaranteed.
The warning from the United Nations
The UN Committee warned that the eviction could cause "irreparable harm" to the minors and requested the Government to suspend the eviction or provide housing while the merits of the case are being reviewed. Spain must submit its observations to the international body before January 2027. The request for precautionary measures was made by the family's defence, which cited the special vulnerability of the children.
Sources from the Madrid City Council claim that the family rejected both the housing alternative offered by Social Services and a temporary resource from Samur Social. However, the community and social organisations accompanying Dulce argue that there was no stable relocation proposal that guaranteed the best interests of the minors.
Support concentration and background
Various groups gathered under the slogan "Dulce stays" to try to prevent the eviction. A first attempt at eviction, scheduled for July 3, had already been suspended while various appeals, including the request to the UN, were being resolved. The Housing Department of the Community of Madrid defends that the procedure was carried out "with all guarantees" and preserving the protection of the family unit.
This case adds to a wave of evictions affecting particularly vulnerable people in the region. In recent months, Madrid has witnessed several evictions met with strong community mobilization, such as that of a 67-year-old man, his daughter, and granddaughter in Vallecas, which was executed despite the resistance of dozens of neighbours. There was also the case of Maricarmen, an octogenarian who faced several eviction attempts after decades in her home, which was acquired by a vulture fund.
What alternatives are there for the family?
After the eviction, Dulce's family has been left without stable housing. The municipal social services offered a temporary resource, but the mother rejected it, according to the City Council. Social organisations are demanding an immediate housing solution that takes into account the disability of one of the minors. The UN Committee continues to analyse the case, and Spain must submit its arguments before January 2027.
For the residents of Moratalaz and the rest of the Community of Madrid, this episode once again highlights the need for housing policies that protect the most vulnerable groups. Meanwhile, groups like Stop Evictions continue to mobilise to prevent situations like this from recurring.
