At least 500 migrant girls in Ceuta to be moved to mainland Spain after spike in sexual assaults of underage victims

SPAIN is preparing to move 500 young migrant girls from Ceuta across to its mainland after damning allegations of sexual assault. Cops are continuing to investigate worrying claims that 15 minors were sexually abused in the North African enclave including a girl aged 10. Hundreds of migrants were filmed running through the hills in Ceuta over the weekend Credit: X Up to 8,000 migrants remain in the Spanish territory after breaking through the borders, the latest reports claim Credit: Reuters The shocking claims come just weeks comes after 72,000 migrants rushed across the border from Morocco into the Spanish territory. Hundreds more migrants continued to try and rush into Ceuta over the weekend but were stopped by a major police and military presence. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Up to 8,000 people remain in the Spanish territory after breaking through the borders, the latest reports claim. An estimated 3,000 migrants have turned a beach in Ceuta into a makeshift campsite over the past fortnight. Shelters made up of tarpaulin sheets and bamboo sticks can be seen littered across the sand as cops launched a major operation to clean up the beach. Around 30 police vans with heavily-armed officers inside turned up at Trampolin Beach at around 9am local time today. The operation is hoped to restore the strip of coastline to a popular weekend family destination as it was previously. It comes as at least 2,168 minors have now been registered in Ceuta. Most read in The Sun Migrants stand near makeshift shelters on a beach in Ceuta Credit: Reuters Migrants have taken part in protests in Ceuta appealing for Spain to help them find a permanent safe home and food Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Reports of the alleged sexual assaults have overwhelmed social services on the enclave in recent days since the initial border rush on July 30. Spain’s largest police union, the SUP, confirmed the 15 sexual assaults are all being investigated and are of varying degrees of severity. The significant majority of the assaults happened on the beach and wooded areas where migrants had gathered, local media reports. Spain’s ministry of youth and childhood has now said it was drawing up plans to move around 500 young girls to the mainland for their safety. Hundreds more migrants continued to try and rush into Ceuta over the weekend but were stopped by a major police and military presence Credit: AFP Chaos broke at the Moroccan border with Ceuta after tens of thousands of migrants stormed across on July 30 Credit: Reuters Under Spanish law, the government has a duty of care to young, unaccompanied migrants until they reach the age of 18. The proposal has sparked concerns back in Spain with some criticising the decision to house hundreds of migrants into the country. The conservative People’s Party (PP) as well as Vox say the girls should be returned to Morocco where they are believed to have originally entered Cueta from. Abdellatif Ouahbi, Morocco’s justice minister, has also said any Moroccan children should be returned to their families. So far, just three allegations of sexual assault have been processed so far. The accused men have been jailed on remand. At least five alleged victims were treated in a specialist hospital unit, according to the authorities. Ahmed Enfed-Dal, president of the neighbourhood association said: “These girls were wandering free in the city, which is very dangerous. Beatriz Ferron, 62, woke up to find a migrant climbing into bed with her in his underwear earlier this month Credit: Faro TV “The authorities need to find a solution fast because we are just volunteering and we cannot look after them indefinitely.“ Mónica García, Spain’s health minister, argued: “The best way to protect women and children is to ensure they are in safe spaces.” Spain is said to be currently carrying out checks to see if it can track down the girls’ family members so they look into sending them back home as an alternative measure. It comes as women in Ceuta are continuing to raise serious concerns about the conduct of men in the enclave. Atid, a 28-year-old from the Moroccan city of Taza, claimed: “It’s really bad. “A ‌lot of guys are trying ‌to attack the girls every night, sometimes just when you go ⁠to the toilet. They follow you.” Earlier this month, a 62-year-old woman in Ceuta awoke to find a migrant in bed with her. The man, a Moroccan who had convictions for assaults committed in Valencia, had scaled a building and entered through a balcony. He was arrested as he tried to flee across rooftops and a court subsequently handed him a two-year prison sentence. 1 comment1