Eleven Vimyoso schoolchildren were victims of sexual abuse by classmates

Eleven students from the Vimioso school group, Bragança district, were sexually assaulted by 11 other students, the Ministry of State (MoS) has concluded after investigating the alleged rape of a student, which was not proven.

The final order of the investigation into the education guardianship, to which the Lusa agency had access, determines the temporary suspension of the process for nine minors – under 16 years of age – subject to compliance with a behavior plan that includes several commitments, such as “A participation program to be implemented by the General Directorate for the Reintegration of Prison Services (DGRSP) with an emphasis on sexuality, respect for the human body and privacy.”

At the time of the events that took place at the school, on January 18 and 19, two other young people were already 16 years old and could have been charged with a crime, but the deputy also called for a temporary stay of the process on the condition that the defendants also completed a behavior plan, which includes community service and attendance at the DGRSP program.

The investigation involved an alleged rape of an 11-year-old student by eight classmates “using a broom” reported by the Vimioso Parish Council, followed by a criminal complaint filed by the child’s mother.

During the investigation, the deputy had access to several video recordings from a mobile phone, which served as evidence.

The deputy describes several episodes over two days in which the suspects “grabbed and held” the victims, taking them one by one to a “bar table” where they were subjected to touching, gestures and body movements of a sexual nature.

If they could respond with a criminal offence, the MP recalls that these actions constituted the commission of several crimes related to aggravated sexual abuse of children.

The prosecutor claims the young men acted “jointly, with the aim of satisfying their sexual and libidinal instincts” by committing “acts of a sexual nature and content” against the victims, aged between 11 and 14, despite knowing “that they were challenging the victims’ sense of modesty, shame and intimacy.”

“Young people demonstrate that they act in the context of a peer group, and it is more difficult for them to assess the consequences of their behaviour and the impact it may have on others,” the MP stresses.

Regarding the alleged sodomy, the prosecutor claims that after reviewing the evidence presented during the investigation, “it was found that none of the witnesses interviewed,” including the employee, saw the suspects using the broom, adding that “many witnessed what the children called a ‘prostate exam joke.'”

According to the ruling, “the clinical and expert documents also do not allow us to conclude that the facts took place as reported by the victim,” despite the examination carried out by the Porto Forensic Medicine Department, which concluded that there were “traces of physical aggression” and “traces of contact of a sexual nature.”

The MP concluded that there was “insufficient evidence” that the suspects had committed the alleged sodomy, leading to dismissal on that count.

In a statement, the Vimyoso School Group General Council, without mentioning the 11 students who were sexually assaulted and agreed to adhere to behaviour plans, said the school management had “handled the matter appropriately”, recalling that disciplinary proceedings had been instituted against students involved in the “alleged prank on the prostate exam”.

“The General Council of the Vimyoso School Group recommends that the Vimyoso Parish Council publicly apologize to the school and the professionals who work there, and especially to the students and their families who are allegedly involved, recognizing the falsity of the complaint,” said the statement, signed by President Karina Machado Lopes, who is also a councilor of the Vimyoso Chamber.

In a conversation with Lusa, the president of the Vimioso parish council, José Ventura, said he was not aware of the deputy’s order.

“We had no access to the deputy’s orders, no information about other situations from the time this case was reported until today,” the mayor said, adding that “there will be no apologies because the facts are real.”

“We don’t need to make any apologies. The facts are real and there is no reason to apologize,” he stressed.

This position was voiced after a meeting of the parish assembly, which took place on Monday.