Sexual Violence and the Ceuta Crisis: Structural Violence and Political Instrumentalization

• Since the migration crisis began in late July, 14 women and girls have been identified as victims of sexual violence in Ceuta.
• Reported perpetrators include Spanish and Moroccan nationals, with others remaining unidentified; the violence is being used to fuel xenophobic narratives and political debates.

Structural Inequality and the Border

• Ceuta is a Spanish territory and an EU external border in Africa, deeply marked by historical colonial relations and modern externalized migration policies.
• Between 2015 and 2021, the EU allocated €234 million to Morocco for border management and anti-trafficking programs.
• Experts argue this environment fits the concept of 'necropolitics,' where state structures expose specific populations to violence to preserve the privileges of the Global North.

The Instrumentalization of Violence

• Political discourse often focuses on the nationality of perpetrators to frame migrant men—specifically Muslims and North Africans—as inherently dangerous, ignoring the reality that violence against women is pervasive within the Iberian Peninsula.
• Researchers warn that this narrative shifts responsibility from individual aggressors to entire populations, allowing local men to evade self-reflection on their own systemic violence.

Feminism and Hierarchies of Victims

• Critics point to 'femonationalism,' where right-wing actors adopt feminist rhetoric only when they can blame migrant or Muslim men for violence against women.
• There is a critique of 'white feminism' for failing to mobilize for victims at the border in the same way it has for domestic cases like 'La Manada' or the Jenni Hermoso incident.
• The challenge for activists is to denounce sexual violence without feeding into racism, xenophobia, or the dehumanization of migrant populations, while also challenging the white feminist structures that prioritize certain victims over others.