LONDON: Spain and local authorities in Ceuta must provide adequate shelter to migrants and asylum seekers who arrived in the exclave last month, Human Rights Watch said on Friday.
Those who wish to apply for asylum should also be given the opportunity to do so, the organization added.
“Thousands of people have been in the streets in a legal vacuum, exposed to sexual violence and without adequate shelter, food or sanitation for almost three weeks,” said Judith Sunderland, senior associate director for refugee and migrant rights at HRW.
“Despite the challenging situation, Spain should quickly mobilize sufficient resources to ensure humane and orderly management of the crisis for the good of migrants and Ceuta residents alike.”
HRW conducted a four-day research trip to Ceuta from Aug. 15-18. It followed the entry of tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers into the Spanish territory from Morocco in late July.
It is unclear how many remain in the city, with local organizations telling HRW that the figure could be as high as 10,000.
An initial four tent camps announced by Spain’s migration minister will provide space for 1,500 adults, with Spanish authorities beginning the transfer of people to two of the sites.
However, many of those interviewed by HRW speculated that the Spanish government was deliberately delaying the provision of assistance to convince them to return to Morocco.
Thousands of migrants, including women and girls, are believed to be living on the streets of Ceuta and in makeshift accommodation, with a lack of shower and toilet facilities forcing many to use parks and the sea. On Aug. 17, the government said it was distributing 4,000 food bags per day.
Local charity Luna Blanca told HRW that it was handing out between 2,700 and 3,500 meals per day across five locations with government funding.
However, as of Aug. 20 HRW saw no indication that Spanish authorities had initiated any legal procedures or assessments of adults, leading to fears that they will be left in limbo.
Aside from Moroccans, the organization also spoke to men and boys from Algeria, Egypt, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Chad and Senegal who arrived in July.
“Many had spent years on arduous journeys and expressed their wish to apply for asylum in Spain,” HRW said.
EU rules in place since mid-June mean that Spain should have already screened all arrivals, including conducting security, health and “preliminary vulnerability” checks to identify stateless people, survivors of torture and people with special needs.
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Spain has called on authorities to provide information about the right to asylum and identify protection needs through proper screening.
The situation for unaccompanied children in Ceuta is of particular concern, HRW said. A source in the local government, which under Spanish law is responsible for unaccompanied children, said authorities had taken charge of 1,385 as of Aug. 18. Spain’s Interior Ministry said police had registered 2,168 unaccompanied children.
Tensions in the city of 85,000 people are leading to mounting concerns over potential violence.
Luna Blanca spokesperson Halima Ahmed described it as a “catastrophic situation without precedent … There is so much uncertainty and that generates fear among residents, and the problem is when fear turns to hatred.”
Sunderland said: “Spanish authorities should not let populist calls for mass summary deportations prevent them from acting in accordance with their obligations under international law.
“Nor should Spanish authorities be deterred from conducting fair, individual assessments of protection claims and treating all migrants with dignity.”
