Police probe rapes as Ceuta shelters unaccompanied girls on football pitch

· Society ESPMAR
Part of Ceuta Migrant Crisis

Police in Ceuta are investigating at least 15 suspected rapes of migrant minors, as unaccompanied girls housed on a school football pitch since July 31 endure conditions health officials called the enclave's worst-ever crisis. Emergency doctors have treated multiple rape victims, including a 12-year-old girl, while neighbourhood groups report some girls were assaulted after initially sleeping on the streets.

Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas says the city is 5,000 percent over capacity, with local officials estimating some 9,000 migrants remain after the late-July mass crossing. Save the Children demanded on Tuesday that minors be granted access to asylum procedures, calling for specialised legal aid and a mechanism to identify vulnerable children among those who fled conflicts in Sudan and Chad.

Madrid plans to redistribute minors across Spain but has set no timeline, while neighbourhood leaders doubt any bilateral deal with Morocco will secure returns.

Story development

  1. Police probe rapes as Ceuta shelters unaccompanied girls on football pitch
  2. Moroccan forces block new migrant push toward Ceuta as Spain deploys 3,500 officers to enclave
  3. Charity says 4,000 migrant children in Ceuta lack protection as assault cases emerge
  4. Morocco tightens border security as social media calls for new Ceuta mass crossing on 15 August
  5. Spain counts 1,527 migrant minors in Ceuta as Morocco demands their return
  6. Ceuta hospital treats underage girls for suspected rape as migrant crisis overwhelms services
  7. Migrant dies in paraglider attempt as Moroccan rights group raises border death toll to 141
  8. EU says Schengen integrity preserved after Ceuta crisis as commissioner warns of border reliance on neighbours
  9. Spain allocates €25 million for Ceuta minors as youth minister plans visit
  10. Spanish judge opens preliminary probe into mass migrant crossings at Ceuta
  11. Spain and Morocco clash over death toll as Ceuta migrant surge tops 60,000
  12. Moroccan footballer dies swimming to Ceuta as death toll in border crisis reaches 67

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