Urgent Call to Protect Migrant Minors in Ceuta

• Fundación Raíces has called on the Spanish government to address the institutional abandonment of thousands of migrant children and adolescents in Ceuta.
• Over 1,000 unidentified minors are currently living on the streets, facing severe food shortages, lack of hygiene, and constant threats of violence.

Violations and Risks

• Reports of violence committed by military personnel and local citizens against minors.
• Systemic barriers to medical treatment, gender-based violence, and denial of access to international protection.
• Obstacles to family reunification for children with parents already in Europe and stalled processes for those with families in Morocco.

Proposed Urgent Actions

• Prioritize Protection: Implement a protocol where minors are directed to protection services for identification immediately upon encounter, bypassing current, slow police-led screening processes.
• Resource Expansion: Utilize available administrative facilities as emergency shelters and increase specialized staffing to process minors.
• Forced Transfers: Invoke mandatory legal mechanisms (Royal Decree 658/2025) to redistribute minors to the Spanish mainland, overriding resistance from autonomous communities.
• Human Rights Oversight: Rigorously audit return procedures to prevent forced deportations disguised as "voluntary returns."