Save the Children today presented an analysis in which it reviews nearly 400 court rulings on recent cases of sexual abuse against children in Spain.
Sexual abuse is one of the most serious forms of violence against children and adolescents. Furthermore, it is one of the most invisible, still under the collective belief that these cases barely exist and that if a boy or girl were abused in our environment we would notice.
Justice at the level of childhood
Main data of the report
Below I share some of the devastating data from the report:
- In 8 out of 10 cases the aggressor is a known person or family environment
- The average age at which the abuse begins are the 11 years
- In 80.3% of the cases analyzed, the victim is a girl or a teenager
- 96% of abusers He has no criminal record related to sexual violence
These data are part of the last informe de Save the Children For justice at the level of childhood in which nearly 400 judicial sentences of cases of this type of violence in Spain have been analyzed.
Almost half of the reports of sexual abuse have a child or adolescent as the victim
According to the latest data from the Ministry of the Interior, in 2021, 8,317 complaints were filed for crimes against sexual freedom that had children and adolescents as victims.
“These data are just the tip of the iceberg, since it is estimated that only 15% of cases of sexual abuse are reported. There is still a collective belief that these cases barely exist and that if a boy or girl were abused in our environment we would notice, but the data show that this is not the case.says Catalina Perazzo, director of social and political advocacy at Save the Children.
Justice specialized in violence against children and adolescents
Save the Children recalls that, as indicated in the Organic Law on the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents against Violence approved two years ago, it is necessary for the Government to develop specific legislation that marks the way for this specialized justice that can guarantee the rights of boys and girls who have been victims of any type of violence, such as sexual abuse.
This must be specified in the following measures:
- Implementation of courts specialized in caring for children victims of violence
- Creation of a specific Prosecutor's Office for violence against children, which participates in all processes where there is a child victim
- Initial and constant training of all legal operators
- Legal assistance to victims, accompanying them from the beginning to the end of the process and ensuring its free of charge in the cases established by law.
Prevent secondary victimization
Among the main guidelines for child- and adolescent-friendly justice are those issues aimed at prevent secondary victimization, such as: that the number of times the girl or boy is interviewed is as small as possible; that these interviews are carried out by specifically trained professionals, that they are recorded to be used as admissible evidence, that child-friendly and non-intimidating language must be used and that victim and accused do not come into direct contact.
“The greatest evidence of child sexual abuse is the victim's statement. That is why it is essential to have the appropriate resources to take that statement and be able to use it at trial. It is not fair that a boy or girl has to tell what happened on more than one occasion, and we see how today it is still a common practice”, says Perazzo.
Sobre Save the Children
Save the Children is the leading independent organization in the defense of children's rights Worldwide. It works in more than 115 countries saving lives, protecting children and defending their rights within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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