Migrant children left exposed on Ceuta's streets as shelters overflow

More than a thousand unaccompanied children are sleeping rough in Ceuta after a surge of migrants crossed from Morocco late last month, overwhelming the Spanish enclave's limited reception capacity and leaving minors exposed to violence and exploitation.

Around 72,000 people entered the territory on 30 and 31 July, according to Madrid. Most have since been returned, but roughly 2,000 remain, including an estimated 1,100 children travelling alone. The enclave's migrant centre has a theoretical capacity of just 90 places.

Children bearing the brunt

Charities on the ground describe desperate conditions. Jose Miguel Morales, head of Federacion Sur Acoge, told Spanish public television that children as young as ten have been beaten and assaulted while living on the streets. "Every day that passes without a solution and without safe accommodation means leaving these children, especially these girls, exposed to all kinds of abuse," he said.

We are talking about real children, 10 years old or younger in some cases. Many are under 14.

Save the Children has warned that girls face heightened risks of violence, trafficking and exploitation. The organisation called for urgent registration of all minors to ensure protection.

AFP reporters in Ceuta in the days after the influx documented children with limited access to food, water, shelter and sanitation. Groups slept on beaches and in wooded areas, some shielding themselves from the sun with plastic bags. Others waited outside the reception centre, which had been closed because it was full.

Emergency measures and political resistance

Alejandro Ramirez, Ceuta's vice-president, described the situation as unsustainable. Authorities are working at full speed to convert schools and warehouses into emergency shelters. The government of Pedro Sanchez approved €25 million in funding this week to support the minors.

But a legal mechanism to redistribute children across Spain has hit a wall. Regions governed by the conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox party have refused to accept transfers. Santiago Abascal, Vox leader, wrote on X that "not one euro from Spaniards" should go "for illegals, for invaders".

Diplomatic pressure and deadly crossing

Morocco has committed to identifying unaccompanied minors for return, though a diplomatic source said Spanish legislation and judicial procedures are obstructing the process. Researchers traced the surge to false rumours on social media claiming the border had been opened, while migrants cited poverty as the driving force.

At least 80 people died on the Spanish side of the frontier during the main rush as migrants swam into Ceuta. Moroccan authorities reported 11 deaths on their side. "We want to reach Europe and fulfil our dreams and those of our families," Ahmad, a migrant from Yemen, told reporters.

With emergency shelters still being readied and political consensus absent, the immediate priority remains getting children off the streets and into safe accommodation before winter arrives.