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00:03 Report | Jan-Philipp Scholz
00:23 Amina (alias) | 14 years
01:23 Susana Ascaso | Ceuta Hospital
02:03 Juan Jesús Vivas | Regional President

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Hundreds of children and teenagers - living on the streets here in Ceuta's industrial area.  

One of them is this 14 year old girl. We’re calling her Amina and do not show her face for safety reasons. Authorities have told her that there was no space in any shelter. She has been here for about two weeks now, living in constant fear. 

Amina (alias), 14 years 
I have heard about sexual assaults happening here. I don't walk alone anymore - I’m afraid to be raped, too. 

Several underage Moroccan girls we spoke to say they have either been harassed themselves or have heard about cases of sexual assaults since they arrived. They say the worst part is that there is nowhere to go - and that nowhere is safe. 

Amina (alias), 14 years 
We don’t even have any bathrooms. When we need to use a toilet, we have to go to the surrounding fields. Once a day they bring some food, but at night we have to find a place to sleep on the floor. 

Incidents of sexual abuse have been on the rise in the city. Police are investigating at least 15 cases of alleged sexual violence. And authorities assume a lot of cases are going unreported.  

Emergency doctor Susana Ascaso tells us she has tended to several rape victims in the last few days.    

Susana Ascaso, Ceuta Hospital  
Just yesterday another 12 year old girl came in. She said some other migrants from Morocco had been touching her inappropriately. She arrived extremely frightened and crying. She came with a woman who had found her on the street and rescued her.   

At the end of July, around 80,000 migrants illegally crossed the border into Spain. Most have since left. But experts say 3000 to 5000 minors remain in the city. In a DW interview, Ceuta's mayor says that authorities are overwhelmed.  

Juan Jesús Vivas, Regional President  
It's an emergency. We are exceeding our capacities by 5000 percent. The minors are not adequately being taken care of.  

Spain's central government plans to distribute the minors across mainland Spain. But it warns it’s a process that will take a lot of time. Ceuta’s mayor is demanding action now. He wants Spain to return the minors to Morocco as soon as possible.  

Juan Jesús Vivas, Regional President   
The minors must be reunited with their families or cared for by Moroccan social services that would have to assume guardianship. This is the only solution. Legal procedures must be activated that allow the return of these minors. 

On Ceuta's beaches some migrants are preparing for a long stay. Many say they do not want to go back - despite their current ordeal here.  

Amina (alias), 14 years 
Schools in Morocco are very bad and the level of learning is very low. But I want to have a better future one day, I want to become an architect.  

Migrants say there are increasing offers from smugglers to bring them to mainland Europe. If this means they can escape the ordeal here in Ceuta, many might be taking the risk - even unaccompanied children and teenagers.