Madrid 11/08/2023 at 00:19 CET
84% of victims of sexual violence through the internet are children or adolescents, which adds up to a total of 954 complaints in 2022
Los children They are the most vulnerable group to sexual crimes through internet. Of all the complaints that were filed for sexual violence online in 2022, in 84% of the cases the victim was a child or adolescent, which adds up to a total of 954 complaintsaccording to a new study carried out by Save the Children and intended to shed light on the phenomenon of grooming. This word refers to a practice in which an adult impersonates a minor through electronic means and attempts to establish a relationship of trust with a child, in order to blackmail him or her for sexual purposes.
84% of victims of sexual violence through the internet are children or adolescents, which adds up to a total of 954 complaints in 2022
The investigation involves continuing the analysis of nearly 400 court rulings for sexual abuse in childhood, which the platform recently published under the title ‘For justice worthy of childhood’. A total of 33 of the judicial rulings are on grooming cases and their examination shows that there are some differences between physical and online sexual abuse.
Profile of victims and aggressors
In the online sphere, 57.4% of the victims are girls and 42.6% children. However, in physical sexual violence against minors, eight out of ten victims are women, so in percentage terms there are more men abused through the Internet than physically. Furthermore, the average age is higher. In physical abuse it is 11 years while on the internet it is at 13 years on average, without difference between girls and boys. Furthermore, 11.5% of the victims are people with disability and in 59% of cases there is more than one victim.
Regarding the profile of the aggressor, it stands out that in 47.5% of the cases it turned out to be unknown and in 95% has no priors of any kind.
The new analysis reveals, according to Catalina Perazzo, director of social and political advocacy at Save the Children, that “boys and girls are a particularly vulnerable against violence through the internet. In the case of grooming, the abuser gradually gains your confidence to engage them in sexual activity, which can range from talking about sex and get photos or videos until maintaining a sexual encounter”.
The judicial process
The research also reveals that judicial processes take a long time: 67% lasted between two and three years on average. Despite this, in 96.7% of the cases the sentence was damning. Furthermore, in the sentences on online crimes the large number of conformities stands out. The accused presented agreement with the facts in 57.4% of the cases, compared to the processes for physical sexual abuse, which this circumstance occurred in 44% of the total. In this context, the sentence imposed in 72% of the sentences was more than five years of prison.
To improve the judicial process, the NGO requests the new Government to develop the pioneering comprehensive law on children against violence (known as the ‘Rhodes law’), so that specialized courts in attention to minor victims; A specific prosecutor’s office is created to participate in all processes of violence against a boy or girl; Initial and ongoing training is provided to all legal operators and victims are provided with legal assistance and support from the beginning to the end of the process.
Save the Chlidren also bets on implement the Nordic Barnahus model in all communities (children’s house in Icelandic), which consists of all the institutions that intervene in a case of child sexual violence working and coordinating under the same roof. The model was implemented in Catalonia in 2020 and seven other autonomies are following the same path.
2023-11-07 23:28:45
#Sexual #crimes #children #online #age #victims #men
