Ceuta Grapples with Surge of Unaccompanied Moroccan Migrant Children

The number of unaccompanied Moroccan minors under the supervision of the autonomous city has been steadily increasing since the beginning of the year. At the temporary Realojo de "La Esperanza" center, 440 Moroccan boys are housed, including 360 in its own premises, and 80 others assigned to the "SAMU" Foundation, which installed several prefabricated modules on the ground floor of the building more than a year ago, according to the newspaper El Faro de Ceuta.

On the girls’ side, 33 Moroccan girls under the age of eighteen are being cared for at the Ceuta Mediterranean Center. At "San Ildefonso", the building that houses these children, is occupied by eight of them. Ten other children meet the judicial conditions of the Punta Blanca Reform Center. In total, 491 unaccompanied children and adolescents are under the supervision of the city administration.

Moreover, the number of children housed in the youth centers, particularly "La Esperanza", makes it impossible to provide special attention and follow-up to the children. This is an obstacle to better collaboration between the children and the center and highlights the security problem and a lack of adequate assistance to these children who come from diverse backgrounds with their cultures.