Spanish officials are dismantling makeshift camps in Ceuta province, a Spanish enclave in northern Africa, after reports of underage sexual assaults emerged. At least 500 women and girls have been transferred to mainland Spain for their safety amid the action.
The encampments, which housed an estimated 72,000 migrants as of late July, are being shut down following allegations of at least 15 sexual assaults involving minors. The alleged victims included residents from northern Morocco, a region that borders Ceuta.
A resident described the situation as: “It is an invasion of savages whose misogynist culture the government wants to spread throughout Spain.”
According to a Reuters report cited by authorities, most assaults involved underage victims. One girl reported being raped and forced to sell drugs, while another claimed she was indecently touched. In both cases involving minors, the accused men were jailed.
A third case saw an alleged assailant deported by a judge after an adult woman reported he had committed indecent assault.
Despite efforts to expel most migrants, between 5,000 and 8,000 remain in wooded areas and coastal regions of Ceuta.
