Human rights and cities: the Barcelona Office for Non-Discrimination and its work for migrants

This contribution addresses human rights in the city of Barcelona, analysing the treatment and outcome of migration-related complaints to the Office for Non-Discrimination (OND), a municipal service in Barcelona. The city provides both the level and the unit of analysis of the complaints to the OND. The OND has dealt with a variety of migration-related legal issues by using the human rights framework flexibly and providing different types of solutions in relation to two main constraints: the status of the migrants and the systemic and hidden nature of discrimination affecting them. The contribution suggests ways beyond those provided for by the law in which cities can support (migrant) human rights through an institution like the OND.