Child sex abuse rising

PANAMA. The prosecutors of the Fifth, Sixth and First prosecution offices have investigating 44 cases of child pornography in the last four years and many of them are still awaiting resolution.

The situation could be worse, because the children involved are too afraid of their abusers to come forward. The victimized children often need medical attention and psychological help while their cases are going through the courts.

The Social Development Ministry has created the National Secretariat of the Family, Adolescence and Childhood to give moral, physical and psychological support to the victims of sexual abuse in general.

The interim director of the secretariat, Rosaria Correa said that the main objective of the department is to protect the rights children and adolescents. It is the first step to taking a more energetic approach in the struggle against child abuse in all its forms from pornography and commercial sexual exploitation to incest.

Correa said that it is very important to create an integral protection system which will combine the efforts of the administrative, judicial and social institutions more effectively.

“It is important to improve the services, because at the moment we are taking the abused child from the environment in which he has been abused, instead of taking the abuser out of the young person’s life. The kid is being punished twice. Once by the abuser and again by the system,” said the director.

Currently there is a bill on Integral Protection in the National Assembly. It contemplates the creation of community committees that will allow victims of abuse, their families and neighbors to denounce abusers. Another objective of the bill is to educate the population in such a way that people are more willing to prevent, stop and denounce cases of child abuse.

The director added that the main problem the department has at the moment is the lack of resources and trained personnel who can give treatment to abused children. It is often long and costly.

In 2008 The Public Ministry has referred to the Secretariat 17 victims of sexual commercial exploitation This year 11 cases have been received so far.

“Our main priority is to protect the children at all costs, which is not easy, because the abuser is looking to intimidate the victim and secrecy is paramount,” said Correa.