Prime Minister guarantees the Government's full engagement to take the lead in preventing and combating sexual abuse and exploitation of minors

According to Ulisses Correia e Silva, what we should not “is treat violence and sexual abuse as a cultural phenomenon”. And considering this, “it is the path to its normalization and naturalization”.

The Government assigns high priority to the issue of abuse and sexual exploitation of minors and women in Cape Verde, hence the Prime Minister today assuming the full commitment of the Executive to take the lead in preventing and combating it.

Ulisses Correia e Silva once again assumed this position, at the close of the high-level Political Dialogue that took place this afternoon in the city of Praia, and at the invitation of the European Union.

“In Cape Verde we have made progress in terms of the legal and institutional framework and the involvement of civil society organizations”, he said, adding that “the amendment to the penal code instituted aggression and sexual abuse of children and adolescents as a public crime”. Therefore, there is a debate about extending it to age 18, “due to its importance as a measure of criminal and punitive prevention”.

“Child-friendly justice” has had a great reach in the scope of the application of the Law on crimes of aggression, abuse and exploitation of children and adolescents”, underlined the Prime Minister today”, defending that in terms of prevention and protection of the family, “ we have strengthened other instruments such as the RSI aimed at households in extreme poverty and under 15 years of age, measures aimed at children and adolescents at risk, measures to reduce school dropouts and increase school success, accountability of parents in relation to children, psychosocial support for families at risk”, in addition to the National Plan to Prevent and Combat Sexual Violence against Children and Adolescents.

According to Ulisses Correia e Silva, what we should not “is treat violence and sexual abuse as a cultural phenomenon”. And considering this, “it is the path to its normalization and naturalization”. “It should be considered as undesirable and socially repudiated, institutionally and socially prevented and criminally punished”, he concluded.

The Political Dialogue on the sexual abuse and exploitation of minors and women in Cape Verde was co-organized by the Government, the European Union and the National Assembly.