Sexual assaults happening almost every day in Ceuta, prosecutors say
Spanish prosecutors report a surge in sexual assaults in the exclave of Ceuta following a mass influx of migrants from Morocco. The government is facing political pressure and criticism over its handling of the humanitarian and security crisis.
Why it matters
The situation highlights the ongoing challenges of migration management in Europe and the resulting social and political instability in border regions.
Image source, Europa Press via Getty Image Image caption, Some 5,000 migrants who entered Ceuta from Morocco are estimated to still be in the Spanish exclave
Spanish prosecutors say 23 sexual assaults, including nine against children, have been recorded in Ceuta since the mass influx of migrants into the Spanish exclave at the end of July.
That number meant there was almost one case every day, Ceuta's chief prosecutor Silvia Rojas said.
She told El País newspaper migrant girls were "particularly vulnerable because of their irregular status in the territory".
At least 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July and although most have returned, as many as 5,000 remain - leading to unrest in the autonomous city in North Africa and a crisis for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
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