Paper short abstract:

On May 16 and 17, 2021, some 8,000 people, most of them minors, crossed the border fence between Morocco and Spain in Ceuta, encouraged by rumors that the Moroccan government had opened the border. Children who alone or encouraged by their families flee from the hogra and look for karama.

Paper long abstract:

The immigration of underage boys and girls from Morocco who come alone and are in a situation of helplessness has been a sustained phenomenon in Catalonia in recent decades. During this time, progress has been made both in the actions and in the knowledge of this group and their needs once they arrive at their destination. The typologies and profiles of the boys and girls who come to our towns have been described, the different responses that have been given to them by the administrations and the effects of each of them have been analysed. The works, beyond intervention perspectives, on the living conditions in origin and transit are less numerous, although significant. In our research, we propose a transnational perspective with the unitary treatment of the situations in origin, transit and destination, although considering the contextual and cultural differences. Being young in Morocco first and in Catalonia later means managing a wide range of complex identities and, more than a transition, it is about navigating through social and personal circumstances that place young people in the same social situation: they are inhabiting the physical and symbolic border throughout the migratory process (Sánchez-García et alters, 2021).