The rise in sexual assaults in Ceuta also deserves explanations in Congress. Finally, the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, will be dragged by the pressure of the PP, which had registered this Thursday a petition in the Permanent Deputation of the Chamber to force her to report both on the situation that women and girls are experiencing in the city, and on the protocols that should be put in place to avoid new cases of abuse.
Following the PP's request, which ran the risk of being supported and going ahead with the votes of other opposition parties, the Government has reported that Ana Redondo will voluntarily join the carousel of appearances that will take place in Congress between August 25 and 31. In the case of the head of Equality, it will be the last day.
The latest official data offered by the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) is that there have been at least nine cases of sexual assaults in Ceuta in less than 15 days, which has meant that the frequency has multiplied by eight compared to usual. For this reason, among the judicial reinforcement measures that have been implemented is extending the stay of the judge who was already providing support in matters of gender violence in the city.
EL MUNDO previously reported on this increase in cases through police and judicial sources, which specified that in the dozen cases registered, all the victims known at the time were migrants and that among them there are minors.
The Deputy Secretary of Health and Social Policy of the PP, Carmen Fúnez, stressed this Thursday that it is "essential" that Redondo explain the protocols to avoid sexual assaults that are being implemented together with the Ministry of the Interior, and that Equality clarify whether any protection measures have been put into operation for women in Ceuta.
For this reason, the PP had registered a request for a debate in the Permanent Deputation of Congress to force the Minister of Equality to join the parade of ministers giving explanations.
The popular ones justify the relevance of Redondo's appearance given "the serious sexual assaults and rapes suffered" and ask to quantify the figures of this problem.
In an appearance before the media from the headquarters in Genoa, Fúnez has raised criticism of the Government for the management it is doing in Ceuta and has stated that the fact that the Executive wants to remove 500 girls from there implies that "there is something that they are not telling us."
Fúnez has placed special emphasis on the worrying health situation: "The city and the professionals are overwhelmed," he denounces. According to the data provided by the deputy secretary, on July 30, an average of one hundred patients were treated daily, while currently there are more than 500, without counting the care provided on the beaches. The PP leader has also warned that some citizens are avoiding going to hospitals and health centers out of fear and are requesting home care.
At this point, he has directly charged against the Minister of Health, Mónica García, whom he has accused of "abusing the commitment" of Ceuta professionals and showing "lack of consideration" towards them.
The Deputy Secretary of Health and Social Policy of the PP has vindicated the measures proposed yesterday by Alberto Núñez Feijóo and has placed special emphasis on the prevailing need for the Government to establish a "single command" to manage the crisis.
The criticism of the central government is accentuated when the popular leader has pointed directly to the generality of the ministers who have come to Ceuta: "They have gone to visit, but they have not listened to the people of Ceuta nor have they put a single solution on the table," she reproached. Nor have his statements left Pedro Sánchez unpunished: "What makes no sense is that in a situation of this seriousness the President of the Government spends an hour and a half there and goes on vacation. The least a Government has to do is be there," he stated.
When asked by the media about the transfer of minors to the peninsula, the response has been forceful: "We defend the best interests of the minor and this is defended by having the minor return to his family." He asks the executive to provide solutions and assures that not only Ceuta is paying the consequences of having a weak Government, "those children also pay for it" he has stated firmly.
Seven ministers in Congress
Starting next week, ministers will appear in Congress to address the situation in Ceuta from their different departments. For now there are eight planned.
This carousel starts on the 25th with the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, who will have to report, among other things, whether there were warnings from the CNI that an avalanche of these dimensions was going to occur, with some 80,000 people entering Ceuta irregularly.
On August 27 it is the turn of the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, and the Minister of Health, Mónica García, with increasing concern about the impact on health of the very precarious conditions experienced by the more than 10,000 migrants who remain in the autonomous city.
On the 28th there are three appointments: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; and the Minister of Inclusion and Migration, Elma Saiz.
