Half of the minors protected in Ceuta are girls: "The transfer is essential"

BarcelonaThe head of Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, assured this Monday that the child protection system has registered 1,478 unaccompanied migrant children in Ceuta, and indicated that their transfer to the Peninsula is "essential" because the city "cannot be left alone," having exceeded its reception capacity. In a appearance before Congress to report on the Spanish government's management to resolve the migratory crisis, the minister was clear in defending the "best interests" of minors as a "democratic conquest" that distinguishes "the rule of law from an autocracy."a "democratic conquest" that distinguishes "the rule of law from an autocracy".

Rego indicated that the "change in profile" of the minors who arrived in Ceuta during the massive influx a month ago has forced her ministry to change its focus. Thus, of the 1,478 children registered, 700 are girls "of special vulnerability." That is, half. Traditionally, girls who migrate alone were a minority. For example, in Catalonia, they represent less than 5% of unaccompanied minors under the care of the Generalitat. Furthermore, according to the minister, "many minors under 13 years old" have entered Ceuta, a group that until now was also practically testimonial in the reception system.

In this first intervention, the minister insisted that family reunification of minors in Morocco remains the "priority" of the Spanish government, but indicated that returns cannot be carried out without following the legal procedures, such as assessing the families' capacity and the children's opinions. However, it is not always possible: until July 30, the Spanish executive has sent 600 files to Morocco to verify if biological families are capable of receiving the migrant child, but so far they have only received "silence," the minister clarified. "If reunification is safe, reunification happens," she insisted.

The minister indicated that the ministry is working on three alternatives for these minors. On the one hand, the transfer of 500 girls to the Peninsula, a step for which she has given neither a date nor which entities will be responsible for their reception. She only indicated that it is a possibility that can be done "immediately" and that they will be housed in "small centers" in different cities, but for now, they are waiting for the president of Ceuta, the popular Juan Jesús Vivas, to authorize the transfer.

Ceuta will maintain the guardianship of these children, while custody and care will pass to foster care entities and not, as is normally done, to the autonomous communities. The other avenue the government is working with is "bilateral agreements" between communities, a formula that has already been used successfully on other occasions, the minister reported, who also thanked the predisposition of many families to welcome and care for these children.

Defense of the best interests of minors

At the beginning of her speech, Rego warned the deputies: "I will not discuss whether a boy or girl deserves to have rights. Whether a girl who suffers violence on the other side of the border deserves rights or not." And she was firm in making it clear that children "are not invaders but subjects of rights." Along these lines, she insisted that she will not allow "childhood to be criminalized" and reproached those who "irresponsibly" for weeks have been encouraging "hunting migrants" in Ceuta. "Hate does not solve the emergency," she concluded.