One year after the adoption of the law to protect children and adolescents from violence, it is necessary to accept it and change mentality
An 11-year-old boy murdered by his father in Valencia; complaints about gang rapes of girls; a couple arrested for allegedly assaulting their three-month-old baby… The news of violence against children and adolescents all too often touches and baffles us. We are faced with dramatic realities hiding behind numbers that have not stopped rising in our country. In Spain, 37,778 complaints were lodged in 2020 for acts of violence against minors. Of these, 5,841 were for domestic abuse and 5,685 for sexual violence – four in five were girls -, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior. Since 2016, those complaints have increased by 20%; and they reach a 70% increase since 2010 in the case of sexual violence against minors. Figures that only represent part of reality, with the serious consequences they entail for the victims and for society as a whole.
With this data, with these stories of violence on the retina and with the broad goal of becoming a crucial tool for the protection of children and adolescents in the face of the increasing violence that affects them directly and disproportionately, a year ago the Act for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents against Violence (Lopivi). The standard was approved after years of intensive work. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals have also pushed for the implementation of this new legislative framework with their postulates and recommendations.
Considered a groundbreaking law at the international level – it has aroused the interest of other countries in our area because of its comprehensive nature and because of the movement and public and political consensus in its processing and adoption – the text stands out in that it covers all points. the aforementioned violence: from awareness to treatment and repair of the damage, including prevention and identification. Its integrative nature is also reflected in the statement that the participation of all is necessary to stop the violence; in this sense, the boys and girls themselves are included, who are offered an education that provides them with tools for their self-protection.
So we are faced with a law that concerns us all. Much of its value lies in the commitment of all adults to both ensure the protection of children and to be alert and report any situation of abuse and violence of which we are aware. And it is that for the first time a children’s law is not only addressed to those responsible for what we call the child protection system, but also lays down measures for sectors such as health, education, sports or information technology. in the lives of boys and girls; as well as the police and judicial frameworks that come into play when a situation of ill-treatment or abuse occurs.
One year after the adoption of the law, it is necessary to develop it and effectively implement some of its provisions, such as the Commission against Violence against Children and Adolescents within the Inter-Territorial Council of the System of National Health; the specialization of both the judicial authorities and their heads, in civil and criminal injunctions, as well as of prosecutors in the field of violence against children and adolescents; or the law’s approximation of state, regional and local regulatory standards inconsistent with the provisions of the law. In addition, by the beginning of the next school year, the new figures enshrined in the law must be operational: welfare and protection coordinators in schools and protection deputies in leisure and leisure entities.
Calling on the responsibility for the protection of all those who somehow work in childhood or have relationships with boys and girls can undoubtedly be one of the greatest contributions and challenges of the Lopivi after these twelve months. It’s time to adopt its content, change the mindset, question the way we do things, invest time and resources in education and trust other professionals with the demand that all boys and girls have the right to gain protection from violence inflicted by anyone involved in their lives, be it parents, teachers, friends, close associates, or strangers. Because all forms of violence against children, regardless of the nature or seriousness of the act, are harmful. In addition to the unnecessary harm and pain it causes, violence undermines these children’s self-esteem and undermines their development.
The new law provides the best foundation for tackling violence against children. It is time to implement it to ensure the protection of all children and adolescents.
Source: La Verdad
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