Four out of ten men accused of sexual abuse of children
- The trial begins against the alleged members who prostituted minors by the deputy of the Sansoheta Centre in Vitoria. On the first day an agreement has been reached with the Prosecutor ' s Office by the four defendants and prison sentences of up to thirteen years have been recognised.
The trial began on Monday at the Provincial Court of Álava and has begun to declare defendants for belonging to a network of prostitution of minors who were in the custody of the Provincial Council of Álava in the Sansoheta center of Vitoria. Three of them state that they “did not know” that young people who prostituted were underage. All three have acknowledged that they had sex and affirmed “repentance” and have assured that they will not repeat the crimes again. As a result, the penalties have been reduced and an agreement has been reached with the Public Prosecutor’s Office. A quarter accepts what has been done and declares it to the judge on Wednesday, when it is known whether or not the agreement is reached.
The trial will continue until 3 October with five public sessions. On the contrary, the seven victims will declare their doors closed on Wednesday and Thursday. In total, they have applied for a 214 year penalty against the defendants.
The topic came to light in 2016. The complaint was made by boys and girls aged 14 to 17 living in the Sansoheta Center. Among other things, corruption, sexual abuse, exposure to child pornography and crimes against public health are charged to the 10 defendants, according to the Berria newspaper. Many of these men were downtown workers.
Today, the voices of women and children remain within a culture that delegitimizes their voices, silencing their experiences, within a system aimed at minimizing or ignoring their basic rights and needs. A media example of this problem is the case of Juana Rivas, but her story... [+]
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