Portugal among the worst countries in protecting victims of sexual abuse of minors

Portugal is one of the worst European countries in terms of legal protection for victims of sexual abuse of minors, points out an international report published this Wednesday, which criticizes the shortened statute of limitations for crimes.

Portugal is among the statute of limitations countries considered “poor” for crimes of sexual abuse of minors, along with Lithuania, Finland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Moldova, Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to the report “Justice at Large: End Restrictions, Protect Children” by Brave and Child Global.

The United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark and Georgia do not set statutes of limitations for all or most crimes involving sexual crimes against children.

“The accusation of child sexual abuse decades after it was committed is scientifically sound because the damage caused by sexual trauma in childhood does not disappear in childhood and adolescence,” the document says, indicating that Portugal is one of the last countries in the European region that has not yet suspended the application of the statute of limitations to the age of majority for these crimes and that it should take urgent measures to review the situation.

The impact of the Casa Pia case on this issue was not forgotten in the report, which highlights that media coverage of the trial led to changes in the law. The document also mentions the work of the Independent Commission on Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church, which lists reports sent to the public ministry despite the fact that the vast majority of crimes have already expired.

The report also mentions discussions in recent months in the Assembly of the Republic of a proposal by the government to begin the statute of limitations only after the victims reach the age of majority (18 years), setting the turnout limit at 25 in most cases, with a maximum age of 33 for the most serious crimes in this area.

This Diploma, which transposes the European directive on combating sexual abuse, the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, was generally approved by Parliament about a month ago, moving into a specialty.

The two organizations responsible for the report argue that despite a proposal that extends the current age limit of 23 years, the legislative changes still fall short of best practice: “This still lags far behind Portugal in the European Union and cannot make up for the lack of justice for Portuguese victims,” the report says.

Among the main benefits associated with removing the statute of limitations for crimes of sexual abuse of minors, the authors highlight greater public awareness as a result of solving these crimes, the protection of more children due to the risk of reoffending offenders, the authorization of discovered evidence of crimes committed many years ago, or the termination of protection of institutions that covered abuse.

According to the Brave Movement and Child Global, “Abolishing all statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse is by far the best practice to enable victims to access justice, protect future children, and benefit communities,” with both organizations commending the “widespread benefits” of removing age limits for filing complaints of sexual crimes against minors.