In 1990 the Spanish population between 0 and 14 years of age represented 20.4% of the total.

As with all developed countries, the loss of statistic importance of the infantile population in relation with other age groups warrants the increasing attention given to minors with social problems and the adaption of systems to protect these minors to the indications and proposals of the United Nations Conventions on Children's Rights.

The General Direction of Legal Protection for Minors, of the Ministry of Social Affairs sponsors the following:

• A network of services and programmes to prevent discrimination. The enactment of Law 21/1987 has facilitated the development of protectional care, has improved the adoption processes establishing the number of adoptions at around 1,500 per year, and has advanced the gradual substitution of the large residences for children's "homes" to deal with abandoned and battered children. At present there are 39,230 places, with a resident population of 24,406 (percentage oif coverage is 62.2%).

The approval of a new Law 4/1992 on legal procedures to be followed in the case of minor offenders, has eliminated situations of insufficient guarantees in legal procedures implicating persons under legal age and has provided for a wide range of new alternative measures for treatment through education.

• The Plan of Global Intervention provides for material involving cases of battered children, plans for campaings of public awareness, professional training, the preparation of experimental programmes of prevention and discovery, and the promotion of associations and organizations.
• A network of facilities, installations and programmes of attention (a network of nursery schools for the 0-3 age group, children's homes and places of recreation) aimed at improving the quality and quantity of infantile care in line with the principles of the LOGSE (Educational Law).