The conference "The right to personal integrity of children and adolescents is a fundamental right" was held in commemoration of the month for the prevention of child abuse.
In order to promote the right of children and adolescents to be protected against child abuse and respect for their physical, psychological and sexual integrity, the Dominican Judiciary held the virtual conference: "The right to personal integrity of children and adolescents is a fundamental right".
The activity, which was held on the occasion of Child Abuse Prevention Month, also seeks to promote the issues of compliance with effective judicial protection, improve access to justice, as well as to present good practices in this area.
The meeting was aimed at judges, judicial servants, psychologists, counselors and staff of interview centers, as well as representatives of institutions of the protection system and civil society organizations working with children and adolescents.
Magistrate Juan Sabino Ramos, president of the Court of Appeals for Children and Adolescents of San Pedro de Macoris, reported that in the first quarter of the year, the Forensic Interview Centers conducted a total of 518 interviews with victims and witnesses in a state of vulnerability; 237 correspond to sexual crimes against children and adolescents, 91 correspond to cases of domestic violence, 30 to crimes related to abduction and deduction of minors, 9 to trafficking and smuggling of persons and 26 to physical and psychological abuse.
Rafaela Burgos, a psychologist and family therapist, spoke about the psychological damage of child abuse that occurs when the aggressor is at least 5 years older than the victim. She classified sexual abuse in extra-familial and intra-familial, while explaining that among the conditions of child abuse is that it occurs by people very close, trustworthy, there is the element of authority, seduction versus physical force, secrecy and confusion.
Rosa Iris Linares, director of Inclusive Justice of the Judiciary, said that this activity was carried out with the aim of promoting the right of children and adolescents to be protected against abuse and respect for their personal integrity, as a fundamental right. Protecting children and adolescents is a matter for everyone, it is an individual commitment of each person, it is a duty of the family and the State.
The Directorate of Inclusive Justice, through the Management of Equity and Vulnerable Populations, carries out every year, activities in prevention of child abuse, in order to contribute to the awareness of judicial officials and citizens about the negative effects of this scourge that affects so much our children and adolescents, as well as the instance of access to denunciation and restitution of their rights.
The closing of this meeting was in charge of the magistrate Juan Aníbal Rodríguez, president of the Court of Appeals for Children and Adolescents of Santiago and coordinator of the judges of that jurisdiction, who emphasized that the legal part has been overcome and that the Judiciary has political will, which is increasingly manifested in the protection of children and adolescents.
