Hundreds of unaccompanied migrant girls, many from Morocco, remain without safe, suitable accommodation in Ceuta after crossing the border by sea. Local women have become a frontline of support, taking minors into their homes and makeshift shelters as authorities struggle to respond. Police are investigating five sexual assault cases involving underage Moroccan girls.
The pressure on the city’s child-protection system is clear in the official figures. On 22 October, the Government of Ceuta said it was sheltering 3,390 minors, 117 times the system’s ordinary capacity of 29 places. Authorities had opened 12 extraordinary resources, bringing the total across all facility types to 22. By 23 October, RTVE reported that 3,434 minors were registered in the system. These totals cover the wider caseload, not the number of girls specifically, and show the strain on services responsible for their care.
In the El Príncipe neighborhood, Zohra Mohamed, 62, has taken in Aya, a 17-year-old who arrived alone and injured after swimming to Ceuta. Now acting as Aya’s guardian, Zohra describes the lack of safe accommodation for girls: official centers are overwhelmed and dominated by older boys. Fearing for Aya’s safety, Zohra refused to leave her in a crowded shelter and continues to search for alternatives, echoing concerns among residents who have opened their doors to vulnerable minors.
Wafa, another local woman, is housing four Moroccan minors in her small apartment, including 15-year-old Ilhame, who also crossed the sea alone. Wafa says her resources are stretched thin, but she cannot turn the girls away despite the financial and logistical strain. Ceuta residents’ solidarity cannot meet the scale of the crisis, particularly as reports of violence against girls increase.
Recent incidents have heightened fears. Rajaa, a resident of El Príncipe, intervened when a group of men attempted to assault Yuli, a 12-year-old girl who had been sleeping rough. Rajaa now cares for Yuli, whose mother in Agadir does not want her to return. Similar stories are emerging across Ceuta’s neighborhoods, where women are stepping in to protect girls at risk on the streets.
In Sidi Embarek and Los Rosales, neighbors led by Abdellah Mustafa have converted a local futsal field into a temporary refuge for girls. The improvised shelter is guarded day and night and now hosts up to 200 minors, though capacity is already strained. Girls arrive throughout the day seeking safety after facing threats and attempted assaults elsewhere in the city. So far, the city council’s only official support has been the delivery of a portable toilet.
Some girls, including Jamnat and Zineb, aged 17 and 16, have formed new friendships in the shelter after escaping attempted attacks by groups of men. They say police turned them away when they reported the incidents and told them to go to the Tarajal warehouses, exposing gaps in the official response. Many girls now avoid official centers, fearing for their safety and choosing to stay together in informal shelters.
The crisis goes beyond accommodation. The Government Delegation says the National Police’s Family and Women’s Unit is investigating five cases of sexual assault against Moroccan minors. Spain’s Ministry of Youth and Children has also said some minors in Ceuta’s protection system may need international protection, including because of circumstances in their country of origin or possible membership of the LGTBIQA+ community. Authorities are assessing those cases to determine whether asylum procedures are appropriate. The children may need distinct legal and safeguarding support.
Transfers to mainland Spain are proceeding through separate channels: family reunification and relocation to other autonomous communities under Article 35 of Spain’s Organic Law 4/2000 on the rights and freedoms of foreigners and their social integration. Figures presented by Inclusion Minister Elma Saiz put the caseload at 3,331 minors in October, with 107 transferred for family reunification and 181 relocated to other regions. By 23 October, RTVE reported 114 family-reunification transfers and 181 relocations. Separately, 63 cases had been referred to Moroccan authorities, with no response reported. These figures cover distinct administrative steps; they do not represent the full number of children registered in Ceuta’s care.
The arrivals followed a mass entry from Morocco on 30 and 31 July. The concentration of children in the city has put extraordinary pressure on temporary facilities and increased the need for coordinated casework, including family tracing and legal assessment. The legal and political challenges surrounding the protection of migrant minors in Ceuta have already drawn national attention, as highlighted in recent coverage of legal gaps and political disputes over child protection in the city. The current focus on girls points to the need for measures that address their specific safety and protection needs.
Ceuta’s experience reflects broader challenges for Spanish authorities managing sudden influxes of unaccompanied minors. Local solidarity has provided temporary relief, but community initiatives cannot replace a coordinated protection response. The scale of the caseload and limited transfers, alongside ongoing assault investigations, point to the need for safe accommodation and effective safeguarding for vulnerable children, especially girls, in border regions.
