AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Every hour two children are victims of sexual abuse

Wednesday, 19 November 2014

Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - According to a recent report published in Bogota on the occasion of World Day for the prevention of child abuse, every hour two are sexually abused. The study, which collects data from the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, reveals that approximately 39 children each day in the country are victims of sexual abuse, 40% of whom occur within their own families. The document indicates that family breakdown, lack of communication with children or the fact that they are looked after by other people because their parents are busy working, are some of the risk factors.
According to estimates by the Institute of Forensic Medicine, out of the total number of children abused examined, 25% takes place in homes. The main victims of this plague are girls from 10 to 13 of age. The alleged assailant is a family member (41%), followed by a known person (22%). In Colombia, where for over 50 years there has been an ongoing armed conflict, sexual violence against children, girls and teenagers go hand in hand with scourges such as poverty, labor exploitation, forced displacement. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 19/11/2014)


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