Africa-Press – Angola. The National Children’s Institute (INAC) receives 15,015 “SOS child” weekly, more than 400 reports of abuse against children, said Tuesday, the deputy national director of the institution, Luísa Gourgel .
Luísa Gourgel invited society to reflect deeply on these numbers, which she considered alarming.
Luísa Gourgel referred to sexual abuse, evasion of paternity, instrumentalization and abandonment of children as the main complaints received, having indicated the provinces of Cabinda, Cunene, Cuanza Sul, Bié, Bengo, Benguela Huíla and Luanda, as the ones with the most cases register.
The official provided this information during the Methodological Meeting of the Provincial Council for Social Action, which serves as an antechamber to the VIII National Children’s Forum, which will take place in June of this year.
He specified that, as a national observatory for children, the National Children’s Council will analyze the situation of children in the country, during the Forum.
He informed that the Ministry of Social Action, Gender Equality, through INAC, has held meetings with public prosecutors, aiming at the swift treatment of cases involving minors, in order to discipline violators of children’s rights.
He expressed concern at the existence of many cases of abuse against children whose offenders are released after two or three months of detention.
This situation, he continued, angers the victim’s relatives, putting the lives of members of the families in conflict at risk.
“The aggressor cannot be released so that the families of abuse victims feel good, because, if the aggressor is released without serving the due sentence, he can still make fun of the sensitivity of abused children and their families”, he stressed.
Luísa Gourgel recognized that there is currently a trend of inversion of values, which has been contributing to cases of violence within the family.
He urged families, churches and civil society associations to work towards unity, respect, love, fraternity and brotherhood, in order to prevent abuse against minors or other social strata.
The Deputy Governor for the Political, Social and Economic sector, Luzia da Silva Bartolomeu José, who chaired the meeting, highlighted the Executive’s commitment to implementing actions aimed at fulfilling the 11 commitments to children.
The meeting, attended by different entities from the provincial government, civil society, religious leaders, traditional authorities, municipal administrators, members of defense, security and public order bodies, addressed the implementation of the 11 commitments towards children in the province.
The constitution and revitalization of provincial and municipal councils for Social Action were also among the topics discussed at the event.
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