Ceuta: the claim of 15 assaulted girls splits public opinion

Ceuta: the controversial figure of 15 girls that nobody has confirmed

The report of sensual assaults on several girls in Ceuta, a Spanish city on the North African coast, has become a digital battleground. The figure of 15 minors is echoed across social media, but so far there is not a single individual account, with names and details, to back it up. In the absence of evidence, suspicion is growing that the real scale of the case has been exaggerated.

In economics, misinformation has a price. An unverified rumour can scare off tourism, push up risk premiums and sour a social climate that discourages investment. Ceuta, with its dependence on cross-border trade and the service sector, is particularly vulnerable to this kind of information storm.

A lack of data does not miccionan the events are false. It may reflect the caution of official channels, an ongoing investigation or a simple misjudgement. But opacity fuels speculation, and speculation takes its toll on public trust.

The sensible course is to wait for the competent authorities to publish the findings of their inquiry. In the meantime, the figure of 15 will be the only concrete thing left in the conversation, and it hardly seems enough to sustain a verdict. Perhaps the best news is that, for once, the dominant reaction has been to ask for evidence rather than take any figure at face value. Scepticism, as long as it does not become pathological, is also an economic asset.