This Monday, the Independent Commission for the Study of Child Sexual Abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church presented a report on 512 testimonies from victims of abuse. Recall that in October 424 testimonies were confirmed.
The presentation of the report was attended by D. Manuel Clemente, Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, and D. José Ornelas, Bishop of Leiria Fatima, among other members of the Catholic Church.
Within two weeks, the Portuguese Episcopal Conference will hold an extraordinary meeting at which the bishops will announce measures to bring justice to the victims.
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Updated February 13, 2023 | 17:33
Ana Nuñez de Almeida reports that 23% of cases occurred in seminaries, 18.8% in churches, 14.3% in confessionals, 12.9% in parish homes, and 6.9% in Catholic schools.
57.2% of the victims were abused more than once, 27.5% of the victims saw their abuse last more than a year.
In 4% of cases of sexual violence there were complaints to the authorities.
According to Laborinho Lúcio, three types of cases have been handed over to the Ministry of Public Administration, some of which will be very easy to investigate, others will be more complex, and others almost impossible.
Laborinho Lúcio proposes changing the statute of limitations for sexual offenses to at least 30 years.
Laborinho Lucio, former Minister of Justice and member of the Independent Commission, explains that since 2007, crimes involving victims under the age of 18 have been made public and can be reported by anyone.
The clergy have a “moral duty” to condemn this type of crime, he urges.
“The sample is dominated by people with a high level of literacy, 32% have a degree, but there is a high group – almost 18% – who have a literary qualification only up to the ninth grade. The median age at onset of abuse is 11.2 years,” says Pedro Stretch.
Abuse occurs, on average, against persons under the age of 13, by people who are in some proximity between the aggressor and the victim. The average age at which abuse occurred is 11.2 years.
“In religious institutions, the vulnerability of the child is shown, which is enhanced by spiritual faith, so the spiritual connection between the abuser and the child makes the child more vulnerable,” added psychologist Daniel Sampaio. “The priest is the voice of God,” several victims said during their testimony.
At the end of the report, the Independent Commission refers to comments and recommendations addressed to both the Church and the general public.
“Hopefully things will change,” says one witness.
The Independent Commission found that the majority of rapists in the church were priests (77%), and in 97% of cases the rapists were men.
The survey also showed that 88.5% victims are residents of Portugal, and 43% spoke of abuse for the first time in response to an Independent Commission survey.
The results show that 77% of victims never complained to a church, and 52% only reported the abuse after an average of 10 years.
“He told me that I already have beautiful boobs,” says one of the witnesses, who remained unknown. The IC reports that 512 verified victim statements were obtained and 564 people responded to the survey.
The current average age of victims is 52.4 years, but 20.2% of the sample is under 40 years of age.
52.7% of the victims are men and 42.2% are women. More than half, 53%, were Catholics, and 32.4% now have college degrees.
Pedro Strecht, coordinator of the independent commission, reports that, according to the survey, The “minimum number” of victims exceeds 4,500.
Author: Joao Saramago
Source: CM Jornal
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