Sexual assaults happening almost every day in Ceuta, prosecutors say

Some 5,000 migrants who entered Ceuta from Morocco are estimated to still be in the Spanish exclave Spanish prosecutors say 23 sexual assaults, including nine against children, have been recorded in Ceuta since the mass influx of migrants into the Spanish exclave at the end of July. That number meant there was almost one case every day, Ceuta's chief prosecutor Silvia Rojas said. She told El País newspaper migrant girls were "particularly vulnerable because of their irregular status in the territory". At least 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July and although most have returned, as many as 5,000 remain - leading to unrest in the autonomous city in North Africa and a crisis for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Between 1,400 and 1,600 of the estimated 5,000 migrants still in Ceuta are children, according to Rojas. The Spanish Society of Epidemiology said the border crisis had highlighted the difficulty in detecting and tackling violence against migrant women and girls. In an interview with Spanish radio channel Cadena Ser, Sánchez made a point of saying the king had not visited Ceuta for 20 years - even though Felipe has only been on the throne for 12 years and it was Juan Carlos who visited in 2007. A large number of social media posts appeared in August portraying the border fence between Morocco and Ceuta as safe and easy, even though at least 100 people died while trying to swim around the border fence, according to figures from the mayor. Spanish fact-checking website Maldita said before 30 July, when the influx began, messages circulated on Moroccan social media encouraging people to attempt the crossing, after a June ruling by Spain's Supreme Court. Borja Sémper, a spokesperson for the party, said tens of thousands of people could not have moved towards the Ceuta border without Morocco's knowledge.