Last week around 72,000 migrants arrived in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta. Most were sent back to Morocco, but an estimated 1,100 unaccompanied children remained.

Local reception facilities built for fewer than 100 children are now overwhelmed. With nowhere adequate to house them, humanitarian organizations are warning that every child left outside the protection system is at risk of trafficking, violence and exploitation.

“The authorities cannot handle this”

Reports say the unaccompanied minors have been found sleeping in crowded warehouses at the Tarajal border and on beaches, streets and alleyways. Some reportedly suffered injuries trying to cross the border by swimming, while others have alleged that police inflicted injuries on them.

Seventeen-year-old Youssef said he had travelled alone because his mother, a single parent, was sick. He came looking for work so he could help care for her, despite having to leave his home behind.

Local organizations are trying to fill the gaps by distributing thousands of meals each day. Ceuta’s mayor Juan Jesus Vivas is pleading for support, “We are crying out for help and assistance.”

Authorities turned away a resident, Hamza Sitouni Moreno, who took some children for help. He ended up giving one young girl a place to sleep in his car. His assessment was stark: “So many ⁠people arrived … the authorities cannot handle this.”

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