Psychologist alerts to “profound impact” of decision by child protection commission
A seven year old girl was handed over to an uncle by the CPCJ (commission for the protection of children and minors) who is now suspected of having abused her for years.
According to reports today, the child “was molested 360 times”.
“Serious problems in the parental home prompted the CPCJ to entrust the child into the care of her paternal uncle. The man lived in a common-law partnership, and the couple was considered suitable, with the capacity to offer the child a stable life”, explains SIC Notícias.
The little girl went to live with them in 2018, and according to the accusation now formulated by public prosecutors, she was raped 360 times in almost two years.
“Every Monday to Friday, at an unspecified time in the early hours of the morning, before the suspect left for work and while all the inhabitants of the house were still asleep, he would go to the room where the victim was sleeping, touch her body and remove her clothes”, says the accusation.
Prosecutors stress that the suspect “used physical force to rape the child, and threatened her not to tell anyone”.
The child did tell someone. A month after returning to spend weekends at her mother’s house, she broke her silence, reports SIC Notícias.
Psychologist Mauro Paulino highlights several shortcomings in the CPCJ decision-making – “such as the lack of technical expertise and monitoring of decisions, as well as questioning whether an expert assessment was carried out on the uncle and his partner”.
As to the effects on the child, unsurprisingly he said these will be profound. She will require “psychological accompaniment”/ counselling.
Paulinho stressed that “the home is the most dangerous place in society for crimes of sexual abuse and domestic violence”.
In the forensic psychologist’s opinion, that is why the teaching of sex education in schools is so important. “There are many crimes in the family context. The (sort of) family where these situations occur is not expected to prevent them”, he said – thus it is in the classroom that children can learn what can happen in a healthy sexual relationship, and what should not happen. Most importantly, children are taught to whom they can turn in situations of sexual abuse/ domestic violence.
In this particular case, says SIC, “the child’s complaint broke the cycle of abuse and violence and led to the uncle being investigated”. He is currently under an identity and residence order (the lightest of all possible bail terms), and due to be tried by a panel of judges at Penafiel court.
natasha.donn@portugalresident.com
