Two under-16 girls allegedly raped on migrant boat to Europe; Ibiza hospital treats them as Balearics face migrant surge

Two girls under 16 were allegedly raped by men aboard a migrant boat sailing to Europe and were transported to Can Misses Hospital in Ibiza, where they are receiving treatment and undergoing tests, authorities said.

Police said the girls are minors; the hospital activated its protocol for cases of sexual violence, mobilizing a team of seven security forces agents in addition to the gynecologist on duty. Investigators said statements were taken Saturday from the young women as the probe continues.

Maritime Rescue intercepted a total of 29 migrants on Friday afternoon, all of them of sub-Saharan origin, about 43 miles south of Formentera. It was the second rescue of boats within a few hours in the waters around Ibiza, after another boat carrying 16 people was rescued Thursday at 9:20 p.m., 12 miles south of Formentera, authorities said.

Days earlier, reports emerged of harsh conditions and abuse related to crossings into Europe; officials did not confirm all details, but local outlets cited accounts of distress and mistreatment among migrants during the crossings.

Through nine months of 2025, Ibiza and Formentera reported 126 boats with 2,094 migrants arriving in the two islands. Of those, 108 boats carrying 1,829 people arrived in Formentera, while 18 boats with 265 migrants arrived in Ibiza.

At the end of 2024, a young woman of Algerian origin reported to the Civil Guard that she had been raped by the skipper of a boat en route to Formentera. A judge ordered detention without bail for the alleged aggressor and another occupant; one faced charges of raping the young migrant, while the other faced an obstruction-of-aid count, according to local reporting.

The migrant crisis has intensified in the Balearic Islands, prompting friction with Madrid over reception policy. The central government has urged the islands to prepare for up to 400 migrant minors and to assist with housing and integration, while the Balearic government argues it cannot absorb a surge given strained local resources.

The Balearic Islands say they are already overwhelmed. Antoni Costa, the first vice-president and spokesman for the regional government, said the directive comes at a time of rising arrivals and warned that the region cannot bear the burden alone. He criticized the central government for offering limited information and said the islands would pursue all legal avenues to defend their interests.

Officials note that the region has far fewer facilities than needed: the islands report more than 700 minors in care, well above the 406-minor ordinary capacity allocated to the Balearic system. Costa described the situation as a national crisis and called for clearer guidelines and more equitable distribution of migrants across Spain. A meeting with the national Secretary of State for Children, Rubén Pérez, was scheduled for October 6 to address saturation in the archipelago’s reception system. If the central government’s plan proceeds, Balearic leaders indicated they would challenge it in court, arguing it violates inter-territorial solidarity and fairness.

The unfolding events underscore Europe’s ongoing challenge of managing large-scale migrant movements, particularly across the western Mediterranean, where rescues remain common and regional disparities in reception capacity persist.