Silvia Rojas, public prosecutor of Ceuta, is sounding the alarm. In the Spanish daily El País, she lays out the scale of sexual violence that has occurred in the Spanish enclave since the end of July and the sudden arrival of large numbers of migrants.
Located on the north coast of Africa, on the border with Morocco, Ceuta has about 80,000 inhabitants. According to figures cited by Spanish authorities, nearly 70,000 migrants are said to have entered the territory during the migration wave, and several thousand of them are still there.
“An exponential increase” in sexual assaults
Silvia Rojas says that the sexual assaults have seen “an exponential increase since the massive influx of population.”
The Ceuta prosecutor’s office registered 23 complaints of sexual assault since the start of the crisis. That number, given the period in question, represents “almost one case of sexual assault per day,” according to the magistrate.
Some victims are reportedly migrant minors, particularly vulnerable because of their age and administrative situation. The prosecutor nevertheless believes that the available statistics probably do not reflect the true scale of the phenomenon.
“Many people do not file complaints, either out of fear or because of their situation in Ceuta,” she explains.
Eight men are currently the subject of judicial investigations: four Moroccan nationals, three Spaniards and one Belgian.
A city overwhelmed by the influx
Silvia Rojas is already familiar with the migration crises that have hit Ceuta. She was in office during the previous large wave in 2021. But she judges the current situation to be of a whole different magnitude.
“Remember that Ceuta is a small city of around 80,000 inhabitants, and that the estimated number of people entering it is close to 70,000, which means that one territory has in a way encroached on another. It is an unprecedented event.” Local structures have been overwhelmed, according to the magistrate: “Child protection services are overloaded. But that’s not all. The health system, the education system… Ceuta is on the brink.”
Silvia Rojas mentions a range between 1,400 and 1,600 minors still present on the territory. A considerable figure given Ceuta’s usual capacity: the city can theoretically accommodate only about thirty minors.
Residents organise their own protection
In this context of saturation, some residents of Ceuta have decided to take direct responsibility for some of the migrant women and girls.
In the Príncipe Alfonso district, a football field has thus been turned into a camp. Goals and balls have given way to tents, blankets and laundry hung on lines. A similar setup was installed near the Sidi Embarek mosque. These spaces are mainly intended for women and girls who, after arriving from Morocco, found themselves without accommodation. Local associations and volunteers provide food and assistance.
Testimonies that fuel concern
The atmosphere described by some women sheltered in these camps is particularly worrying.
On August 18, a 28-year-old migrant told Reuters about assaults and attempted assaults some young women allegedly suffered at night. “It’s really terrible… Many boys try to assault the girls every night, sometimes just when they go to the toilet. They follow them,” she said. The dramatic consequences of the migration crisis in Ceuta keep mounting.
As a citizen concerned for public order and the safety of vulnerable people, I echo the prosecutor’s warning: local services cannot cope with such an overwhelming wave without strong, coordinated action. Europe must support Spain decisively and consider wide-ranging cooperation with reliable partners to stabilize the border situation and protect victims — because humanitarian urgency and security go hand in hand.
