After Storm from Africa: Sexual Violence Against Minors Explodes in Ceuta
Spanish authorities are investigating at least 15 suspected rapes in Ceuta following a mass border surge from Morocco that brought 80,000 migrants into the overwhelmed exclave.
According to Junge Freiheit, children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable, with an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 unaccompanied minors still present in Ceuta. Many have been sleeping on streets, in industrial areas, or makeshift shelters for more than two weeks as reception centers remain overwhelmed.
The regional government reports approximately 9,000 migrants remain in the city after roughly 80,000 people crossed the border from Morocco in late July. The influx has transformed parts of Ceuta into what observers describe as slum conditions, with migrants camping on beaches and constructing improvised shelters from straw and cardboard.
Ceuta hat sich innerhalb von einigen Tagen in ein Slum verwandelt. Massen an Migranten hausen am Strand und bauen Stroh-und Papphütten auf. Unser Reporter Hinrich Rohbohm ist weiterhin vor Ort und berichtet. pic.twitter.com/X88UOFhQuI
— JUNGE FREIHEIT (@jungefreiheit) August 14, 2026
An emergency room physician told Focus magazine about treating several underage victims in recent days. She described one case involving a twelve-year-old girl who came to the emergency department after being harassed and inappropriately touched by other migrants. The doctor warned that girls under 18 face heightened danger, a situation exacerbated by the overwhelming numerical predominance of male migrants.
Families living in the makeshift camps have expressed mounting fears for their daughters’ safety. A Moroccan mother who crossed the border stated she is increasingly worried about her twelve and fourteen-year-old daughters. A fourteen-year-old Moroccan girl reported she no longer dares to go into the bushes alone, despite the absence of toilet facilities.
Nabila Benzina, Ceuta’s Regional Minister for Health and Social Affairs, characterized the current situation as the worst moment in Ceuta’s history. She has called for additional police forces, specifically to protect young women and girls.
Regional President Juan Jesús Vivas now describes conditions as a “high-risk situation.” Public services are barely able to maintain basic provision, he warned, with capacity for caring for unaccompanied minors currently at “5,000 percent” beyond available resources.
Madrid has announced plans to distribute the minors across other Spanish regions, though no concrete timeline has been established. Several regions where the right-wing Vox party participates in government have already rejected accepting additional migrants.
Vivas is instead pushing for the return of underage Moroccans, arguing they should be reunited with their families or placed back under the supervision of Moroccan social services. However, many of the young migrants refuse repatriation, stating their intention to remain in Europe.
With information from Junge Freiheit
