“Victims have found courage thanks to the Pope”: Grupo VITA received 48 reports of sexual violence

In an interview with Renascença, Ruta Agulhas stated peremptorily: “Yes, this week we have felt an increase in the number of requests for help, and people are coming to us with a sense of empowerment and more courage, the encouragement that they felt thanks to the words of the Pope.” , applies. He continues: “We received 48 complaints in total. Most of these situations are not known to the diocesan commissions, nor have they been brought to the attention of the former Independent Commission (IC). These are people who speak for the first time,” he concludes: “We take this as a clear sign of trust, and there are many people who tell us that even in the days of CI they believed that speaking, but in the end they did not have the courage and fears arose. After that, the CI ceased its functions, and they were left with the feeling that they had missed the opportunity to do so. Now, thanks to the VITA group, they feel that this opportunity is coming again.”