Sao Tome’s president wants measures to prevent sexual violence from becoming a culture

This Tuesday, the President of Sao Tome asked for exemplary measures to prevent the crime of sexual violence from becoming a culture in the archipelago, given the increasingly high rates that traumatize children, adding to the suffering and frustration of families.

“If we don’t have exemplary cases to combat this practice, we make the culture of this act official, it will be the worst thing that can happen to us. We can’t let people think it’s cultural. this is not cultural, this cannot happen,” said Carlos Vila Nova.

The Head of State of Sao Tome spoke at the end of the conference, which discussed sexual violence from a social and legal perspective, bringing together two groups of representatives of civil society and social protection organizations, as well as jurisdictional bodies, namely the courts, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the judicial police and the national police.

“I did my best to follow as many as possible […]. The level of what I witnessed leaves me very satisfied,” said Carlos Vila Nova, admitting that what he saw exceeded his expectations and changed his mind about how he understands the actions of crime-fighting agencies.

At the outset of the work, Carlos Vila Nova emphasized that sexual violence “is a very alarming phenomenon” and has been a “truly alarming phenomenon” for Sao Tome and Principe for some time due to the increasingly high rates that are being recorded in the country. “.

The President of Sao Tome called for “broader and deeper reflection” on the causes of this phenomenon and what needs to be done to combat it, given its impact on different sectors of society.

“Sexual violence is a true plague in every society, and this plague must be identified and treated,” said Carlos Vila Nova.

He added that “the development of an abused child as a person is seriously impaired” because in addition to physical injuries, “it also has a traumatic impact on his life, directly affecting his joy, his safety, his ability to interact with others, his education, and the opportunity to be a happy adult.”

“Abuse destroys a child’s innocence, dreams and faith in people, leaving them internally broken and contributing to suffering and disappointment in the family,” he insisted.

Carlos Vila Nova also warned that cases occur within and outside the family, taking previously ignored forms, “and are often committed not only by men, but also against the opposite sex.”

The head of state also stated that sexual violence has more devastating consequences because it can have consequences for the peace and stability of society, since these children and adolescents “will lead to consequences for society, and a society consisting of traumatized and problematic citizens will not exist.” certainly a healthy society.”

“Trust in justice must be restored. If this does not happen, we will incite and create precedents to ensure that justice is administered in the hands of ordinary citizens,” urged Carlos Vila Nova.

On Monday, authorities in Sao Tome, with support from UNICEF, released a “Guide on Procedures and Recommendations for the Protection of Child and Adolescent Victims of Sexual Violence” and Abuse, seeking coordinated action across agencies.

Data presented during the ceremony showed that “in 2023 alone” there were 84 cases reported at the Aires de Menezes Hospital, 11 of which involved ill-treatment, 119 cases of sexual violence and 21 children and adolescents at the National Police , who became a victim of refusal, the Prosecutor’s Office received 120 cases of sexual violence, the Social Protection Service received 28 cases, 11 of which concerned sexual violence.

The authorities admitted that “these figures could be significantly higher, since most victims do not report it,” namely “out of fear of possible reprisals from the aggressors.”