Spain will open temporary shelters for up to 1,800 migrants in Ceuta, its enclave in Morocco, as authorities tackle the humanitarian crisis resulting from tens of thousands of people attempting to enter the territory last month. The government is also preparing to transfer 500 unaccompanied migrant girls to mainland Spain, despite opposition from Ceuta authorities.
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The two new shelters will provide migrants with an alternative to sleeping on the streets or beaches, the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration said, describing them as “temporary reception facilities” to be used while work is completed on other planned sites.
Some 72,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco at the end of July, and while 70,000 have since returned to Morocco, according to Spanish government figures, thousands remain and are struggling to access food, water and shelter, putting a strain on the city’s resources.
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Many migrants have spent weeks sleeping rough, and NGOs have warned that the women and girls among them are particularly vulnerable.
The Ministry for Youth and Children is organising the transfer of 500 unaccompanied girls – some as young as 10 – to mainland Spain, where they can access accommodation and care from local child protection organisations.
They have been moved to safe spaces in Ceuta following reports of blockual violence, Elma Saiz, Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, told Spanish public broadcaster RNE. Several cases of rape and ***ault are being investigated.
Saiz did not confirm the transfer of the girls to the mainland.
Political divide
Ruben Perez Correa, Spain’s secretary of state for children, said the authorities must protect the minors rather than simply return them.
“In Spain, m*** deportations of minors are illegal,” he told Cadena SER radio on Thursday. He said the girls came from “very complex family situations” and “require specialised care”.
The issue has fuelled confrontation between the leftist central government and regions governed by the conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox, which do not want to take in the minors.
Ceuta, which is run by the Popular Party, has rejected the plan to transfer the girls, and the territory’s administration continues to demand that Morocco take responsibility for everyone who entered the territory undo***ented, including minors.
The European Commission has backed this position. Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert said on Tuesday that the priority was to “guarantee the swift return of all those who remain irregularly in Ceuta” – adding that European Union law regulates such returns.
The Spanish government on Wednesday announced it is working on a wider plan to accommodate and protect the girls. It is considering a royal decree that could require local authorities to take responsibility for their care.
(with AFP)
