Migrant children risk abuse on streets of Ceuta, aid groups warn

CEUTA

A 12-year-old unaccompanied minor who crossed into Spain is escorted by a Spanish soldier to the Spain-Morocco border as the child begs.

Hundreds of unaccompanied children are at risk of abuse and exploitation as they sleep rough on the streets of Ceuta after taking part in the mass migrant entry into the Spanish territory a week ago, aid groups have warned.

Although most of the crowds of migrants have returned across the border to Morocco, authorities are struggling to find shelter for Moroccan children remaining in the Spanish enclave, who cannot be summarily deported.

Jose Miguel Morales, head of Federacion Sur Acoge, a migrant rights and assistance group based in southern Spain, said some children living on the streets had been beaten and assaulted.

“Every day that passes without a solution and without safe accommodation means leaving these children, especially these girls, exposed to all kinds of abuse,” he told Spanish public television.

“We are talking about real children, 10 years old or younger in some cases. Many are under 14.”

The charity Save the Children has called for urgent efforts to register all minors, warning that girls in particular face “heightened risks of violence, trafficking and exploitation.”

Spain’s government said on Aug. 5 that around 70,000 of the 72,000 migrants who entered Ceuta from Morocco on July 30-31 had since returned, leaving about 2,000 behind.

The opposition-run city administration said the number was higher and that it included more than 1,000 unaccompanied minors.

Luna Blanca, a charity, said it had been distributing between 3,500 and 4,000 meals a day since the influx began.