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.
