Yesterday we were all dismayed to learn about the death of Gabriel Cruz, the eight-year-old boy who disappeared 12 days ago in Almería. The NGO Save the Children also expressed its "desolation" yesterday because of the sad outcome of the case and recalled the urgent need for a comprehensive law that protects children against all types of violence.
Since 2012, at least 100 children have died in Spain due to violent causes, and during 2016, the last of which data are available, more than 37 thousand complaints were registered for violent crimes against minors, according to data from the Ministry of Interior .
There are many forms of violence
In Spain, violence against children continues to be a poorly documented reality. According to the NGO There is no data collection, analysis and management agency On violence against children, there is no definition of violence that includes all its forms, leaving out institutional violence or that exerted through new technologies.
“We tend to think that violence is only physical abuse, but violence against children goes further. Humiliations, insults, threats, emotional abandonment or lack of care are also forms of violence, ”explains Ana Sastre, Director of Awareness and Child Policies at Save the Children.
Out of fear, most of the time children silently face situations of violence that remain hidden. Abuse, gender violence, sexual abuse, bullying or any other damage to your physical and moral integrity is unacceptable.
Prohibit physical punishment
Also remember that "it is alarming that physical punishment by fathers and mothers in Spanish legislation has not yet been prohibited." It is still socially accepted that parents beat their children, and it is one of their priorities to get it expressly prohibited in the Civil Code.
An organic law against child violence
The NGO asks for an Organic Law of comprehensive measures to combat violence against childhood that:
Identify the different forms of violence, incorporating the definition of the United Nations.
Define risk situations and promote prevention and intervention policies.
Strengthen the functions of the Childhood Observatory and establish a unique and effective system of data collection and analysis.
Establish a mandatory mechanism of evaluation of violence protection policies and periodic accountability to Parliament.
With the campaign #Last100 (For the 100 children who have died in recent years), the NGO wants this figure to not continue to increase and we join together to raise our voice against child abuse. Unfortunately, Gabriel joins the number of victims, but we hope that the necessary changes will be implemented to protect the most precious thing we have, our children.
