Ceuta in the Tarajal Industrial Zone at 8 a.m.: Instead of seeing the first warehouse workers and truck drivers, all you see here are dirty blankets and handmade tents. In most of these temporary dwellings children and teenagers sleep. It is estimated that there are between 3,000 and 5,000 migrant minors still in the city. Many of them have been living on the streets for more than two weeks because they could not find shelter in the crowded reception camps in this Spanish enclave.
No help for sick children
Amina (pseudonym) is 14 years old. This young Moroccan woman and her brother were among about 80,000 migrants who crossed the Spanish border illegally in late July. It is true that most of them have since left the city, but according to the local government, about 9,000 people remain, including many children and teenagers like Amina. “The worst thing is that we don’t even have toilets,” the girl says. “We have to go into the bush somewhere, but I don’t dare go alone.”
Right next to Amina, Malika spread out several blankets for herself and her four children. This Moroccan woman narrates that she used to earn as a cleaning lady in Morocco the equivalent of seven euros a day. This is simply not enough to support everyone; “School will start soon and I don’t have money to buy books or even decent clothes for the children.” So the mother decided at the last minute to participate in the mass crossing of the Spanish border when she read about it on social media. But now Malika doesn't know what else to do; “One of the children fell ill. He had a high fever, but I did not get any help from anywhere.” In the end, the mother tried to treat the child with bandages soaked in water and vinegar.
Increasing cases of rape of minors
Malika says that she is currently feeling very worried, especially for her daughters, who are 12 and 14 years old. The number of sexual assault cases has increased significantly in Ceuta over the past week. Police are currently investigating at least 15 suspected rape cases. Local authorities believe the actual number of cases is much higher.
The emergency department doctor, Susana Ascaso, has treated several rape victims over the past few days. “Just yesterday, a 12-year-old girl arrived at the emergency department. She said that other migrants had harassed her and touched her inappropriately. She arrived here in a state of extreme terror and crying. She was with a woman she found on the street. This woman was the one who saved the girl.”
The doctor at the hospital says that the conditions are difficult for them to bear; “Girls under the age of 18 are particularly vulnerable at the moment. In addition, there is currently a huge disparity in numbers between male and female migrants, which of course does not help.”
Disagree in Spanish politics
In exclusive interviews with DW, several senior officials in the regional government of Ceuta sounded the alarm. Ceuta's Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Nabila Benzina, spoke of "the worst moment in Ceuta's history." It demanded more support from the central government in Madrid. “We need more police forces, especially to protect young women, but also for the general protection of the population.”
As for its president, Juan Jesús Vivas, head of the regional government of Ceuta, he spoke in an interview with DW about a "very dangerous situation" in which it has become difficult to maintain public services. “With regard to minors, we are currently exceeding our capacity by 5,000 percent. This means that no one can take proper care of them.”
The Spanish central government in Madrid, meanwhile, announced its intention to distribute minors throughout Spain in accordance with the law. However, to date there is no specific timetable and government representatives are already warning that the distribution mechanism will take some time. Several Spanish regions where the far-right Vox party participates in the government are already refusing to receive immigrants.
Is returning an option?
In an interview with DW Welle, the Prime Minister of Ceuta defends another option, saying: "The minors must be reunited with their families, otherwise Moroccan social services must take custody of them." He believes that this is the only solution to the current crisis and calls on Madrid to "take the necessary legal measures."
But many minors say they do not want to return, despite the difficult conditions in Ceuta. In particular, migrants from other African countries have already begun to set up temporary huts on Trampoline Beach. Seventeen-year-old Ibrahim, from Sudan, says he will not give up until he "is able to provide a better life for his parents back home." Fourteen-year-old Amina does not even want to think about returning to Morocco. “Our schools are very bad. I want a different future for myself. I would like to become an architect one day.”
