(CNN Spanish) ––
Members of the Commission for Women, Children, Youth and the Family of the National Assembly of Panama on Monday delivered to the head of the Public Ministry a report on alleged abuses of minors, who were under the State responsibility in children's shelters in the country.
The institution had already opened an ex officio investigation last Friday, February 12.
This before publications in the media.
The Attorney General, Eduardo Ulloa, said at a press conference that the commission provided alleged evidence of the abuses.
In that sense, the official promised to speed up the case.
Public Ministry opens official investigation for alleged abuse of minors in shelters in Panama
The document in question arises from a series of complaints received by the commission made up of deputies.
When they appeared at the Public Ministry, the deputies said that in the field investigation they found cases of officials who did not do their job.
They also noted that they found children who suffered abuse and even sexual abuse.
“We have asked the head of the Public Ministry, the attorney general, to proceed with these investigations.
And we respectfully believe that an important part is that the closure of these shelters is ordered, also in a procedural manner, "said Deputy Kayra Harding, a member of the commission.
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Commitments after report on alleged abuse of minors
For her part, Deputy Walkiria Chandler assured that several of these shelters, which are under the responsibility of the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and the Family and some of which receive subsidies from the State, have become "deposits for children in adequate conditions. subhuman ».
“To date, there are minors who continue to be violated.
And there are still regents of these shelters who comfortably receive the subsidies and are desecrating these minors, ”said Chandler.
However, he stated that the commission would not offer details publicly so as not to vitiate the process.
Given these sayings, the attorney Ulloa promised that they will take the necessary protection measures to guarantee the well-being of the minors.
He indicated that they will investigate whether the officials fulfilled their obligation in those children's centers.
In addition, they will seek to determine if the supervision and inspection work that corresponded to each institution was done effectively.
Faced with the allegations, the Ministry of Children issued a statement.
In the pronouncement he promised to take "administrative, legislative, judicial and any other measures" to guarantee that "events of the past, in accordance with the report issued by the National Assembly of Deputies of Panama, do not arise again, violating the rights of childhood and adolescence under protection measures ».
For its part, the Ministry of Social Development, on which the Secretariat for Children depends, said in a statement that it repudiated "any act that violates the human rights" of minors.
He also explained that he carries out monitoring and interventions to check compliance with the quality standards of the shelters.
Child abuse Shelters Violence against children
