Hundreds of Unaccompanied Minors Roam the Streets of Ceuta
Authorities and NGOs disagree on the actual number of children in need of protection, with reception centers operating at 2,600 percent capacity.
Authorities and NGOs disagree on the actual number of children in need of protection, with reception centers operating at 2,600 percent capacity.
A week after around 60,000 migrants from Morocco mass-crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the North African coast, hundreds of unaccompanied minors continue to wander the city's streets. As the city gradually returns to its usual rhythm, the humanitarian crisis has hit the most vulnerable group hardest: children aged 10 to 14 who have been left without parents or guardians, according to Spanish public broadcaster RTVE.
The precise number of minors on the streets of Ceuta is a point of contention between authorities and organizations working on the ground. The Ceuta government estimates that around 1,100 minors entered the city among the migrants. In contrast, the central administration in Madrid claims that police officers have registered 528 boys and girls who have been entrusted to the care and accommodation of the local authorities of the autonomous city. NGOs, however, argue that the real figure is significantly higher. The residents' association of the El Príncipe neighborhood collected data on as many as 2,672 minor migrants in just one day, warning that hundreds of them have not yet been registered.
Ceuta's president, Juan Jesús Vivas, admitted that the exact number of minors is still unknown because some of them continue to hide on beaches, in the hills, or are living in very poor conditions. The situation in reception centers is particularly alarming; according to him, they are overwhelmed and operating at about 2,600 percent capacity. Organizations helping children warn of "extremely vulnerable situations," noting that among the migrants there are children wandering the streets without any protection.
Volunteers from the organization Sur Acoge are patrolling the streets, trying to identify children, escort them to the police for official registration, and secure them a place in the care system. "We have desperate families looking for their children in Ceuta, children who haven't managed to find their parents, but also children who don't want to return and speak of situations of violence in their homes," said José Miguel Morales from that organization.
The migrant crisis has also sparked political tensions in Spain. The president of Ceuta has requested help from the rest of the country, describing the situation as an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. There is currently a debate on how unaccompanied minor migrants should be mandatorily and solidarily distributed among Spain's different regions, as proposed in amendments to the immigration law supported by the government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The opposition People's Party (PP) has said it is ready to support a distribution that is "fair, adequately funded, and planned," while the right-wing party Vox has announced legal attempts to prevent such a decision in some provinces. Miguel Ángel Pérez, the Spanish government's representative in Ceuta, stressed that if regional authorities refuse to accept these young people, the matter would be referred to the state prosecutor's office specialized in minors.
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics and the Spanish Society of Social Pediatrics have called for the protection of unaccompanied minors to be an "absolute priority" for all levels of government. Child protection organizations, such as Plataforma de Infancia, Fundación Raíces, and Asociación Exmenas, have appealed to Prime Minister Sánchez for an urgent solution, demanding that minors be immediately provided with water, food, and healthcare, with special emphasis on the situation of girls.
The Ministry of Youth and Children reported that one of the two school buildings earmarked for emergency accommodation has been opened, where about a hundred children spent the first night. The rest have been placed in the La Esperanza reception center and the Tarajal Nueva Esperanza facility. A large number of unregistered children and adolescents are still staying near the Temporary Reception Center for Migrants (CETI).
Meanwhile, the National Court has asked the Civil Guard for data on whether there were any warnings before the massive influx of migrants occurred. Morocco's judicial system has launched investigations against more than 80 individuals suspected of participating in organizing illegal border crossings. Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has dismissed claims that there was a specific warning about the scale of the event, although the government delegate in Ceuta admitted that authorities were aware of an increased number of attempted border crossings, but no one expected the "onslaught" that occurred.
