No toilets, no shelter, little protection. In Ceuta, DW finds thousands of minors living alone on the streets.

Minors living alone on Ceuta's streets at risk of abuse August 18, 2026It's 8 a.m. at the Tarajal industrial park in the autonomous city of Ceuta. But there are no workers and truck drivers to be seen near the warehouses today. Instead, there are makeshift tents, some of them made out of cardboard, with mainly children and teenagers sleeping under dirty blankets. According to certain estimates, there could be between 3,000 and 5,000 unaccompanied minors in Ceuta. Some are living on the streets because they cannot find a spot in one of the already overcrowded reception facilities in the enclave. Amina (not her real name), a 14-year-old Moroccan girl, and her brother were among the 80,000 people who crossed the border into Spain from Morocco in late July. Though most of these have since left Ceuta, some 9,000 remain, according to the local authorities — and many are minors. " What's worst is that we don't have toilets," said Amina. "We have to go somewhere in the bushes, but I don't dare go alone." Close by is a Moroccan woman called Malika (also not her real name) who has spread out several blankets for herself and her four children. She told DW she was not making enough as a cleaning lady in Morocco, adding that she earned the equivalent of €7 ($8) per day. "That's just not enough to provide for everyone," she said. "School will start again soon, and I don't have any money for books, nor even decent clothes for the children." That's why she decided to take part in the mass crossing of the Spanish border last month when she read about it on social media. But now she doesn't know what to do. "One child got sick. He had a high fever, but I couldn't get help anywhere," she said. In the end, she made compresses with water and vinegar to see if that would help. But now she is particularly worried about her 12-and 14-year-old daughters, because the number of sexual assaults has risen sharply in the past week. Police are currently investigating at least 15 suspected cases of rape. The local authorities suspect the actual number of cases to be much higher. Conditions particularly difficult for girls Susana Ascaso, an emergency doctor at Ceuta University Hospital, said she had treated several young girls in recent days. "Just yesterday, another 12-year-old came to the emergency room," she said. "She said that other migrants had harassed her and touched her inappropriately. She arrived here completely terrified and in tears. She was with a woman who had found her on the street. That woman saved the girl." Ascaso said conditions were particularly difficult for "girls under 18" who were "particularly at risk." She added that there was a major imbalance in the numbers of male and female migrants. "That doesn't help, of course." Several high-ranking politicians in Ceuta have called for more support from the central government in the Spanish capital, Madrid. Nabila Benzina, the regional minister for health and social affairs, told DW that the current crisis was the "worst moment in Ceuta's history" and said more police officers were needed in the enclave. "Especially to protect young women, but also for the general protection of the population." Ceuta's president, Juan Jesus Vivas, spoke of a "high-risk situation," in which it was increasingly difficult to maintain public services. "As far as minors are concerned, we are currently 5,000% over capacity," he said. "That means nobody can look after them adequately." 'I'd like to be an architect one day' The Spanish government has announced plans to transfer unaccompanied minors to the mainland but there is no concrete timeline. Several regions, in which the far-right Vox party is part of the government, have said they refuse to take in any migrants. Vivas told DW that the minors should be "reunited with their families. Otherwise, the Moroccan social services should assume responsibility for them." He said this was the only solution, adding that Madrid should put the "appropriate legal proceedings" in motion. Many of the minors in Ceuta said they do not want to go back to Morocco or elsewhere in Africa despite the conditions in Ceuta. Ibrahim, a 7-year-old child from Sudan, said he would not give up until he could provide "a better life for his parents back home." Amina, 14, also said she would not go back to Morocco. "The schools here are really bad. I want a different future for myself. I'd like to become an architect someday," she said. This article was originally written in German.