The aid package, approved by the cabinet, will help provide essential services and cover care for unaccompanied children, Cuerpo said. The announcement came as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez convened the second meeting of his national security council in a week to address the crisis.

At least 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July. Most have returned, but an estimated 5,000 remain in the North African exclave, leading to unrest and a political crisis for Sánchez. Between 1,400 and 1,600 of those still in Ceuta are children, according to chief prosecutor Silvia Rojas.

Rojas told El País that the influx had led to an "exponential increase" in sexual assault, with almost one case per day. Migrant girls are "particularly vulnerable because of their irregular status in the territory," she said, noting that many victims do not file reports out of fear or due to their current situation. Among the suspected attackers are four Moroccans, three Spaniards and a Belgian, Efe news agency reports.

The Spanish Society of Epidemiology said the border crisis had highlighted the difficulty in detecting and tackling violence against migrant women and girls. Emergency doctor Susana Ascaso told the BBC her department at Ceuta University Hospital had treated several sexual assault victims, including one who was just 10 years old.

A 24-year-old woman from Morocco told the BBC she had "put her life in danger" by travelling to Ceuta and described being sexually assaulted while sleeping among a group. "I was shocked… If I had known this, I wouldn't have come," she said.

Tensions have flared between migrants and local residents in recent days. Ceuta's mayor, Juan Jesús Vivas, has called on Spaniards to take part in demonstrations across mainland Spain in support of the city on Wednesday.