Spain: Migrant women Narrate her sexual harassment experince in Spain’s crisis-hit Ceuta

Authorities estimate that between 5,000 and 8,000 people are still in the enclave, which has a normal population of around 84,000. The July 30–31 crossings involved estimates ranging from roughly 50,000 to as high as 72,000 people, many of whom swam around breakwaters or pushed through fencing in a chaotic and deadly event. Scores died, with official figures on the Spanish side rising into the dozens (and higher tallies from other sources). Most of those who entered later returned voluntarily to Morocco.

The government-run migrant reception centre (CETI) near El Trampolín beach is housing about 700 people — roughly 200 over its capacity — according to local authorities. Outside, more than a dozen women have set up a makeshift camp with cardboard, inflatable mattresses and blankets along a wooded roadside close to the centre’s barbed-wire fencing and a parked police vehicle, seeking a measure of security. They sleep in the open alongside hundreds of other Moroccan, sub-Saharan African and South Asian migrants.Three women who spoke to Reuters described harassment by some men staying nearby. Wafae Atid, a 28-year-old from Taza in northern Morocco, said: “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.” She attributed the behaviour to men of different nationalities, including Africans and Arabs. Atid said she avoids sleeping at night out of fear and rests only in daylight hours; the women also lack separate showers, and stress has affected her health. Another woman, Dikra (or similar accounts), described groups protecting themselves by screaming to draw attention.

Spain’s largest police union, SUP, has reported 15 sexual assaults of varying severity in Ceuta since July 30, with a significant majority of victims underage; many alleged incidents occurred on beaches or in wooded areas where migrants gathered. Spain’s Interior Ministry and police have not confirmed that specific figure.

Ceuta’s court authorities have processed at least three cases involving migrant women as victims and Moroccan migrants who arrived in the influx as alleged perpetrators. Two cases involved minors (one alleged penetration and coercion to sell drugs; another indecent touching), with the accused jailed on remand. In a third case involving an adult woman, the alleged assailant’s deportation was ordered.

The public prosecutor’s office has referred to around 13 formalised complaints of sexual assault in the period, while health services have treated a smaller number of women and girls. Residents’ groups have also organised improvised safer spaces for women and girls in response to reports of violence.

Human Rights Watch and local associations have highlighted the extreme vulnerability of women and girls left without adequate shelter, sanitation or clear legal pathways, describing a humanitarian and rights crisis.

Spanish authorities have distributed meals, expanded some temporary places and transferred some minors to facilities, but thousands remain in a legal and practical limbo while registration and processing continue.

The situation underscores the ongoing strain on Ceuta’s limited resources after the unprecedented border surge, with women and girls among those facing heightened risks of exploitation and violence while waiting for authorities to process their cases.