People protest in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES), to demand jail for those allegedly involved in cases of abuse of minors that occurred in shelters of the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family (SENNIAF), in the City of Panama, February 22, 2021. - (Photo by LUIS ACOSTA / AFP via Getty Images)
(CNN Spanish) -
More than 20 minors, among girls, boys and adolescents, have been identified by the Public Ministry of Panama as victims of alleged crimes committed in children's shelters in the country, between May 2020 to date, as revealed the attorney general in charge Javier Caraballo, who did not rule out that this figure would increase.
There are currently about 18 open investigations, after prosecutors inspected 56 shelters throughout the country, where with the help of specialized personnel, 280 minors living in this type of facility were interviewed, the judicial official explained in a press conference.
It is the first time that the Public Ministry provides details of these investigations, after a wave of protests broke out in the capital city a month ago, when it became known about a report prepared by deputies of the National Assembly of the country, which warns about the alleged commission of crimes against minors in shelters under the responsibility of the State, and that received subsidies with public funds.
So far there are five people charged and four of them with provisional detention;
two were charged with embezzlement and mistreatment;
two for mistreatment of minors;
and one for a sexual offense against a 15-year-old adolescent.
CNN has been able to confirm that all the detainees have lawyers, one of them ex officio, and only in one of the cases did the defense request an appeal hearing against the arrest.
Hostels
