2023-10-16 18:12:42
WORLD – In Spain, sexual assaults perpetrated by young people aged 14 to 17 increased by 14% in one year. The public prosecutor has noted a worrying escalation in the seriousness of crimes committed by minors.
In 2022, 501 minors were convicted for committing a total of 636 sexual offenses in Spain. This is what the statistics on convictions published by the INE reveal (Innational statistics institute). These figures confirm an alarming trend: a 14% increase in this type of crime over the past year.
This is the highest figure recorded since counting began in 2017. At the time, 269 young people aged 14 to 17 were convicted for a total of 609 offenses. Among the 636 offenses committed last year, 389 were linked to sexual abuse and assault of minors under 16 years old.
A 30% increase in sexual assaults
Sexual assault crimes, apart from those committed by minors, also saw a significant increase, increasing by 31.5% to 9,603 cases. This figure represents an increase of more than two thousand compared to the 7,302 cases recorded in 2021.
According to the public prosecutor, this increase could be partly attributed to the entry into force of the law for the comprehensive guarantee of sexual freedom known as the law “only yes means yes” (“a yes is a yes”), which has unified sexual abuse and assault into a single criminal offense since October 6, 2022.
Additionally, although the number of sexual abuses under investigation decreased slightly by 3.39%, from 8,937 to 8,634 cases, sexual abuse of victims under the age of 16 increased of 2.86%. Sexual assaults on girls under 16 increased by 36.44%.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office also warns of the increase in crimes against sexual freedom carried out via the Internet as well as in recreational environments, where the frequent use of subjecting victims to alcohol or other substances has become worrying .
Impunity and covert sexual violence
The public prosecutor denounces the existence of a “undefined rate of impunity” because many facts are not revealed, frequently occurring within close relationships between the victim and the perpetrator, whether within the family, at school or in sports clubs. “It is everyone’s responsibility to create a supportive environment to encourage victims to break the silence”he emphasizes.
Nevertheless, the Public Prosecutor’s Office recognizes that the Law on the Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom, as well as its subsequent amendments, have brought sexual crimes to light and that awareness campaigns are bearing fruit.
He explains that awareness has contributed to an increase in reporting of these crimes. Cases that have generated great media and social interest have empowered victims to speak out, supported by public protests from specific groups and society in general, revulsed by these crimes.
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