The Spanish government demands from Ceuta that it authorize the transfer of the 700 minors

BarcelonaThe child protection system has registered 1,478 unaccompanied migrant children in Ceuta, but it is estimated that around 1,200 more are still waiting to be identified. The head of Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, indicated this Monday that the transfer of minors 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 "higher interest" of minors as a "democratic conquest" that distinguishes "the rule of law from an autocracy" in the face of increasingly numerous positions of those who demand setting aside the law and expelling migrants, both adults and minors. a "democratic conquest" that distinguishes "the rule of law from an autocracy" in the face of increasingly numerous positions of those who demand setting aside the law and expelling migrants, both adults and minors.

The minister indicated that the ministry is working on three alternatives for these minors. On the one hand, the transfer of 500 children to the Peninsula, a step for which she has not provided a date or 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 guardianship of these children, while custody will pass to the reception entities and not to the autonomous communities, as is normally done. The other avenue the government is working on is "bilateral agreements" between communities, a formula that has already been used successfully on other occasions, the minister reported, who also thanked the willingness of many families to welcome and care for these children.

Rego has underlined 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, in an attempt to justify why, a month after the massive influx, there are still no official figures and hundreds of children are still not receiving institutional attention. Thus, of the 1,478 children registered, 760 are girls "of special vulnerability," as they belong to the threatened LGTBIQ+ collective, are fleeing sexual or family violence, lived on the streets, or have been victims of human trafficking or forced marriages. Of these, 223 are under 13 years old. Traditionally, girls who migrate alone were a minority. For example, in Catalonia, they represent less than 5% of the unaccompanied minors under the guardianship 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, with a clear predominance of boys aged 16 and 17.

Defense of the best interests of minors

In this first statement, the minister insisted that the family reunification of minors in Morocco continues to be the "priority" of the Spanish government, but indicated that returns cannot be made without following the procedures laid down by law, such as assessing the capacity of families and the opinion of the children. However, this 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.

At the beginning of her statement, Sira Rego warned the deputies: "I will not discuss whether a boy or girl deserves to have rights or not. If a girl who suffers violence on the other side of the border deserves a right 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" have been encouraging for weeks to "hunt migrants" in Ceuta. "Hate does not solve the emergency", she concluded.

Sexual assaults

On the other hand, since the massive entry a month ago, the Prosecutor's Office has counted 23 sexual assaults – five of which are rapes – among the migrants who entered Ceuta. Nine of the victims are girls between 14 and 17 years old, and there is also a man from the LGTBI collective, according to Efe. So far, eight suspects have been identified, four of whom are Moroccan, three Spanish, and one Belgian national. The rest of the aggressors have not been identified. "These are serious facts that demand a firm response, protection for the victims, and the agile action of justice, both for the migrant women in Ceuta and for all women and girls throughout Spanish territory," stressed the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo.

The minister announced the intention to strengthen the specialized teams in the care of the assaulted women in Ceuta, which currently attends to nine minor girls. In another appearance in Congress, Redondo announced that the institutional response will be adapted to the needs of these children, and therefore, the maximum period of 72 hours of stay in this specialized service will be extended until a more definitive solution is found for these girls.