A protocol prevents minors who are victims of violence from being questioned and examined more than once

The document, presented this Thursday at the Ministry of Health, establishes different procedures so that Any situation that shows that a minor has suffered violence is reported, reaches the judicial system and is investigated.said the forensic medicine specialist at the Institute of Legal Medicine, Eva Bao.

The ‘Protocol for health action and inter-institutional coordination to address situations of violence in children and adolescents in the Canary Islands’ sets guidelines for action so that paediatricians and pediatric nurses can quickly and directly report any indication of abuse in minors.

The document has been prepared by a multidisciplinary teamwith special involvement of the Court of Violence against Children, with the participation of representatives from the health and judicial fields, the 112 Emergency Coordination Center, the General Directorate for the Protection of Children and Youth, the Canary Islands Institute of Equality and the councils .

The protocol, which will be disseminated among health professionals, gives instructions to notify the situation of violence to the 112 Emergency Coordination Center, which will be in charge of activating all the resources involved so that the minor is only explored and interviewed once.

On the other hand, it is also planned to launch the Key A programa code that minors can use to warn in the health or school environment that they are suffering violenceexplained the Canarian Minister of Health, Esther Monzón, about an initiative promoted by the Solidarity Heart Association that aims to promote communication between professionals and users.

«They can ask for help through drawings or gestures», commented the counselor who invited citizens to report cases of violence against minors.

Citizen awareness

“All of us who witness abuse have the responsibility and duty to report it unequivocally for the good of the minor,” said Monzón, recalling that, in 2021, In Spain, 33,400 cases of violence against minors under 18 years of age were reported, of which 1,587 corresponded to the Canary Islands.. However, he pointed out that violence against minors is difficult to detect because it mostly occurs in the family environment.

For her part, the general director of Assistance Programs of the Canarian Health Service (SCS), Antonia María Pérez, insisted duty of the population to report this type of violence and stressed that “the abuse suffered during childhood and adolescence affects the health and well-being of minors and their consequences can last throughout life».

Aftermath

In fact, he added, the stress that victims endure “affects their brain development, and can harm their academic and professional performance and produce cognitive deficits, language disorders and psychomotor development».

For her part, Eva Bao pointed out that this protocol will serve to make visible the sexual violence that children suffer and that does not come to light. «One in five children will suffer throughout their lives, before reaching the age of 18, from a situation of sexual violence. “We are talking about brutal figures,” he stressed.

This type of violence is difficult to detect because 75% is within the family and it is estimated that only 20% of cases of sexual violence against minors are reported. “Even so, there was a 66% increase in the number of complaints last year,” said the Forensic Medicine expert.