The rise in sexual assaults in Ceuta also deserves explanations in the Congress. Finally, the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, will provide them, dragged by pressure from the PP, which had registered a request this Thursday in the Permanent Deputation of the Chamber to force her to report both on the situation that women and girls are experiencing in the city, and on the protocols that should be being implemented to prevent new cases of abuse.
After the PP’s request, which risked being supported and passed with the votes of other opposition parties, the Government has informed that Ana Redondo will voluntarily join the carousel of appearances that will take place in Congress between August 24 and 31. In the case of the Minister of Equality, it will be the last day.
The latest official data provided by the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) indicate that at least nine cases of sexual assault have occurred in Ceuta in less than 15 days, which has meant that the frequency has multiplied by eight compared to usual. Therefore, among the judicial reinforcement measures implemented is the extension of the stay of the judge who was already providing support in matters of gender violence in the city.
EL MUNDO had already previously reported this rise in cases through police and judicial sources, which specified that in the ten cases registered all known victims at that time were migrants and that among them there are minors.
The Deputy Secretary of Health and Social Policy of the PP, Carmen Fúnez, emphasized this Thursday that it is “fundamental” that Redondo explains the protocols to prevent sexual assaults that are being implemented together with the Ministry of the Interior, and that Equality clarifies if any protection measures have been put in place for women in Ceuta.
For this reason, the PP had registered a request for debate in the Permanent Deputation of Congress to force the Minister of Equality to join the parade of ministers giving explanations.
The popular party justifies the relevance of Redondo’s appearance given “the serious sexual assaults and rapes suffered” and asks to quantify the figures of this problem.
In a press conference from the Génova headquarters, Fúnez increased criticism of the Government for its management in Ceuta and stated that the fact that the Executive wants to remove 500 girls from there implies that “there is something they are not telling us.”
Fúnez placed special emphasis on the worrying health situation: “The city and the professionals are overwhelmed”, she denounces. According to the data provided by the deputy secretary, on July 30 an average of about one hundred patients were attended daily, while currently more than 500 are attended, not counting care provided on the beaches. The PP leader also warned that some citizens are avoiding going to hospitals and health centers out of fear and are requesting home care.
At this point, she directly attacked the Minister of Health, Mónica García, whom she accused of “abusing the commitment” of Ceuta’s professionals and showing “lack of consideration” towards them.
The Deputy Secretary of Health and Social Policy of the PP has endorsed the measures proposed yesterday by Alberto Núñez Feijóo and placed special emphasis on the urgent need for the Government to establish a “single command” to manage the crisis.
Criticism of the central Government intensifies when the popular leader directly pointed to the majority of ministers who have gone to Ceuta: “They went on a visit, but they did not listen to the people of Ceuta nor put any solution on the table,” she reproached. Their statements also did not spare Pedro Sánchez: “What makes no sense is that in a situation of this seriousness the President of the Government spends an hour and a half there and then goes on vacation. The least a Government has to do is be present,” she concluded.
In response to media questions about the transfer of minors to the peninsula, the answer was clear: “We defend the best interests of the minor and that is defended by making that minor return to their family.” She asks the executive to provide solutions and assures that not only Ceuta is paying the consequences of having a weak Government, “those children are also paying,” she firmly stated.
Seven ministers in Congress
Starting next week, the ministers’ appearances in Congress will follow one another to address the situation in Ceuta from their different departments. For now, seven are planned.
This carousel begins on the 25th with the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, who will have to report, among other things, on whether there were warnings from the CNI that an avalanche of this magnitude was going to occur, with about 80,000 people entering Ceuta irregularly.
August 27 is the turn for the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, and the Minister of Health, Mónica García, with growing concern about the impact on health of the very precarious conditions in which more than 10,000 migrants still live in the autonomous city.
On the 28th there are three appointments: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; and the Minister of Inclusion and Migrations, Elma Saiz.
Closing this parade of ministers is the Minister of Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, who is already working on the transfer of 500 minors to the peninsula.
