Spain’s minister for children and youth, Sira Rego, said in Ceuta on Friday that the government hopes to begin moving unaccompanied minor migrants to the Spanish mainland within a few weeks. Authorities have registered 1,342 minors in the enclave after last week’s large influx from Morocco.
Rego traveled to the Spanish North African enclave to address the situation, DR reports, citing the Spanish newspaper El País and Reuters. The group of minors who made the crossing from Morocco is still in Ceuta.
Rego said all of the minors would be taken care of, after several organizations voiced concern. She stated that the authorities are prioritizing girls, as well as boys and girls under the age of 13. On the timing, she said transfers and placements on the mainland could begin within a couple of weeks.
According to Reuters, many of the minors are sleeping in temporary accommodation or on the street. Reception centers in the area are filled to the breaking point. Reuters added that the planned transfers are intended to ease pressure on the enclave’s reception system.
El País also reported on Rego’s visit and her pledge that the minors would be cared for, and noted the scale of the influx. The newspaper added political and local context about the strain on Ceuta, where children on the street have worried local residents.
Concern over violence and trafficking
Save the Children in Spain has warned that the shortage of safe places to stay, especially for girls, can increase the risk of violence, trafficking and exploitation. Jennifer Zuppiroli, a migration expert at the organization, said in a press release on Thursday that a teenage girl who is alone and outside the system can be particularly vulnerable to violence, exploitation or trafficking. Reuters also reported the organization’s concern about girls without safe housing.
The question of transfers is being raised now because Ceuta has just seen a large arrival of minors from Morocco. That left local reception facilities overcrowded and pushed some children into temporary shelters or onto the street, according to Reuters as relayed by DR. Rego’s trip to the enclave and her remarks about transfers within weeks came in direct response to that situation.
No further details on the number of minors to be moved, or the mainland regions that will receive them, were given in the reporting by DR, Reuters or El País. The figure of 1,342 registered unaccompanied minors is the count reached so far after last week’s influx.
