Spanish authorities in Ceuta have detained an Algerian migrant residing at a temporary shelter following allegations of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy.
Police investigations suggest the suspect initially engaged in inappropriate touching before escalating to full sexual assault at the shelter, according to Moroccan newspaper Assabah.
Security sources indicate the man may be part of a wider network of Algerian nationals suspected of similar abuses against underage migrants, with most victims reportedly aged under 16.
Authorities are working to identify other potential members of the alleged abuse ring. The suspect has reportedly refused to disclose information about accomplices.
Investigators believe the network targets vulnerable migrants who are unaccompanied minors, luring them with false promises of legal residency or financial incentives before assaulting them in private apartments or within the temporary shelter system.
The arrest follows heightened security operations in Ceuta, where police recently detained two other Algerians linked to separate gender-based violence cases. Authorities have increased surveillance around migrant shelters in response.
Said El Azouzi, head of the Al Chamaa Association for Education and Culture, warned that such cases show systemic failures in protecting Moroccan youth from exploitation by human trafficking networks.
“The solution can’t just be policing,” he told Assabah. “We need proper social policies and stronger family support structures to prevent children from becoming targets for these criminal groups.”
The case has renewed debate about protection mechanisms for unaccompanied minor migrants in North African transit zones. Spanish and Moroccan authorities continue joint investigations.
