A 19-year-old young man, a library intern at a primary school in Sines (Setúbal), is accused of alleged “sexual harassment of minors,” an official GNR source confirmed to Lusa this Thursday.
As PNS Lieutenant Colonel Mafalda Gomes de Almeida explained to Lusa, the military at the PNP Sines post received “a report of sexual harassment of minors against a 19-year-old young man undergoing an internship” in the school library in the 1st cycle of Sinus.
“The complaint was filed yesterday. [quarta-feira] in the morning, [no posto da GNR] in Sines,” he said.
According to the same source, “investigative actions” will be launched to clarify the details of this case.
This Thursday, Lusa contacted the Ministry of Education by email, which reported that “the situation is being investigated” and that the young man studying at CERCI (Cooperative for the Education and Rehabilitation of Unadapted Citizens) in Sines “is not being allowed to return.” to one school or another.”
“Regardless of what the competent authorities determine, it is already established between the school and the institution responsible for the training of the trainee (CERCI) that he is not allowed to return to a particular school,” he explained.
According to the online edition of the newspaper Correio da Manhã, “On Wednesday, a group of mothers filed complaints with Sines GNR regarding alleged sexual abuse of first-year students aged 6 to 9 years.”
The newspaper claims the suspect is a young man “with mental illness who is interning in a school library.”
“He has been going to school for seven months, we don’t know how many children have been abused,” one mother said.
Despite being contacted by Lusa, the school band director Sines was unable to make a statement this Thursday.
For its part, in a written response, the school’s parents’ association said it was aware “that two girls reported that they were inappropriately touched by a young man who was an intern at the school, in accordance with CERCI protocol.” “.
“The students ran away and reported the facts and the information was passed on to the school principal and school coordinator,” who in turn “immediately reported the facts to the team leadership,” he said.
The parents’ association said it regretted the incident and said it was “immediately determined that the young man would not be returning to school” and “appropriate action has been taken to ensure the situation does not recur.”