At least five migrant girls under 14 years old have been treated in Ceuta for alleged sexual assaults

At least five migrant girls and adolescents were treated during the last week at the University Hospital of Ceuta after having suffered alleged rapes. None are over 14 years old, according to health sources cited this Friday by ‘El Pueblo de Ceuta’.

The known figure may be higher. Some minors receive medical assistance, but do not file a complaint before or after going through the hospital. The Ceuta Prosecutor's Office had open proceedings until this Thursday for two sexual assaults and no arrests related to these cases have yet been recorded.

One of the investigations began after a minor who arrived during the massive entry on July 30 and 31 reported having been raped. The victim was treated at the hospital for injuries related to the reported events and the protocol for sexual assaults was activated.

The National Police maintains the investigation open and has not provided information on the circumstances in which the assault would have occurred or on the people involved. The protection of the minor and the investigations themselves limit the details that can be made public at this time.

Judicial sources consulted by the Ceuta newspaper also claim to have been aware of several attempted sexual assaults. Some were prevented by neighbors who helped the young women.

Girls outside the protection system

The complaints occur in a city that is still trying to locate, identify and house thousands of minors who arrived from Morocco. Ceuta's protection system usually has fewer than a hundred places and already serves nearly 1,400 children and adolescents, a pressure that has forced the improvisation of new reception spaces.

More than 110 girls and adolescents have been transferred to the Reina Sofía school, temporarily enabled as an exclusively female resource. The Príncipe Felipe school will house the males, while the Autonomous City prepares other facilities in the port area and in Loma Margarita.

Many minors remain off the institutional radar. Some remain in the streets, in wooded areas or sheltered in homes and spaces offered by neighborhood associations. The lack of identification, a safe place and specialized accompaniment increases the risk of sexual violence, exploitation and recruitment by trafficking networks.

The NGO Save the Children has called for an active search for the girls who have not yet been located and their immediate transfer to protected resources. "We need to know who they are, where they are, and what their needs are," warned Jennifer Zuppiroli, migration specialist for the organization.

The entity demands specialized attention and psychosocial support for all minors. A lone adolescent outside the system is especially exposed to any adult who might take advantage of her fear, her unfamiliarity with the city, or her need for accommodation and food.

Equality demands safe spaces

The Ministry of Equality had already alerted the Autonomous City to the "extreme risk" that migrant women remaining on the streets could suffer sexual or physical violence or end up in the hands of exploitation networks. The Secretary of State for Equality, María Guijarro, offered the Government's collaboration and asked for public spaces to be enabled to protect them.

Equality has reminded that Ceuta has 2.3 million euros this year to combat gender violence. Nearly two million come from the State Pact and another 400,000 euros correspond to programs aimed at victims of sexist and sexual violence.

The Ministry maintains contact with the Government Delegation, the Gender Violence Unit, and the officials of the Autonomous City. Neighborhood associations have also enabled the La Reina football field, in the Sidi Embarek neighborhood, so that women and girls can sleep protected.

The Police continue to investigate the complaint filed by one of the minors, while the Prosecutor's Office tries to clarify the two cases that have already led to proceedings. For the moment, no arrests have been reported.