At night on Trampolín beach in Ceuta, young women and girls, many of them recently arrived from Morocco, leave the Hípica camp and gather at the bottom of the ramp. Cars with Spanish plates pick them up; they disappear for about 45 minutes, then return to the same spot. Locals have seen this happen repeatedly.
These brief absences point to a network of sexual exploitation that has grown since the mass entry into Ceuta on July 30. Witnesses and police sources told EL ESPAÑOL that criminal groups and opportunists are targeting the most vulnerable: unaccompanied minors and women with no family or support in Spain. Their isolation makes them easy targets for those seeking to profit. Local authorities estimate that around 13,000 migrants remain in Ceuta without regular status, including approximately 2,100 minors.
The networks operate with cold efficiency. Mafias use their own taxis to pick up girls from the camp and take them to apartments or houses in different neighborhoods, where clients wait. The girls are then brought back to the camp, often just before curfew. The usual payment is 20 euros, but some clients pay up to 30, depending on the girl's situation or the deal. Sometimes, no money changes hands; a bed for the night can be enough.
Police from the Unidad Central de Redes de Inmigración Ilegal y Falsedades Documentales (UCRIF) have been investigating since July. They are trying to identify where these meetings take place and break up the networks exploiting minors. Still, the problem continues. Many girls are pushed into prostitution to survive, buy clothes, or cover basic needs. Some locals say the girls have chosen this path themselves in the hope of escaping their desperate situation.
Exploitation also involves local clients. Some men who entered Ceuta during the July breach pay for sex, though it is unclear where they get the money. The girls' vulnerability is compounded by the fact that they can leave the Hípica camp during the day. Most of the exploitation happens then. Information from the Andalusian, Ceuta and Melilla prosecutor's office, 35 cases of sexual violence were reported in the first 45 days after the mass entry of migrants at the end of July, with about 40% of known victims being minors. Prosecutorial sources say the real number of incidents may be higher due to underreporting. Most victims are women and migrant girls who arrived during the August crisis.
At first, the situation was even worse. Girls left on the streets faced sexual assault and violence before makeshift camps in neighborhoods such as El Príncipe and Sidi Embarek gave them some shelter. But reports say prostitution also took place inside the camps, sometimes without staff knowing.
The community has responded in different ways. Some people in Ceuta have tried to warn families in Morocco about the risks their daughters and sisters face in Spain, hoping they will take them out of the city. Others, as reported in a previous investigation, have seen a broader rise in crime linked to social instability and a lack of oversight.
Authorities still do not know the full scale of the problem. The number of minors involved, their ages, and the reach of the criminal networks remain unclear. The arrival of vulnerable migrants has made it easier for exploitation to spread, while the response has not kept pace with the changing tactics of those profiting from desperation.
This crisis shows what happens when protection fails and oversight is weak. Criminal networks move in fast. The ongoing investigation in Ceuta will test whether Spain can protect those most at risk and break up the illegal systems that thrive in the shadows of migration. Without action that brings real safety for these girls, the cycle of exploitation will continue on the city's streets and behind closed doors.
