The Attorney General of the Republic, Tarek William Saab, led the inter-institutional forum called “Protection of children and adolescents against pedophilia”, held in the auditorium at the Casa de Andrés Bello, located in Caracas.
During his speech, the head of the criminal action stated that pedophilia “is a legal, educational, social, cultural issue that we have wanted to address from the conscience. I have given instructions (to the prosecutors of the Public Ministry) so that these cases continue to be deprived of liberty, even if (the perpetrators are people over 70 years of age”.
In his analysis, the highest institutional authority stated that pedophilia “is a phenomenon of anti-values that is global in nature. Unfortunately, the misuse of the networks has normalized adult love towards a child, without maternal or paternal, subsidiary or family meaning.
On this point, Saab questioned the role of the media, advertising and globalization in the increasingly premature eroticization and objectification of the person.
“Have you seen children’s beauty pageants with five-year-old girls, many of whom don’t even know how to walk properly yet? The current music content? They are atrocities, but it is what monetizes and gives millions of dollars to companies like Spotify or YouTube. That reaches schools and high schools”, questioned the senior official.
In turn, he thanked the unanimous support received by the body that guarantees legality in the development of the campaigns “Pedophilia is Crime”, “Drug destroys your Family” and against bullying.
For this reason, he assured that they are contemporary problems that can occur simultaneously within the same victim: “The adolescent who begins to use drugs becomes depressed and isolates himself, withdraws from classes. The same thing happens with someone who was a victim of sexual assault, which in her silence can lead to substance use ”.
Proposals
The Attorney General proposed the establishment of a technical table to coordinate strategies that help in the prevention of sexual abuse of children and adolescents; as well as drug use and bullying.
“This campaign must be permanent. Let’s organize ourselves to make it forceful. I propose to install a technical table that rethinks strategies for this last quarter of the year and the beginning of 2023”.
From his point of view, “if we make a joint effort, believe me it will be a grain of sand (…). The unity of this feat that we want, without the support of the teachers, is going to be impossible”, observed the senior official.
Balance
Similarly, Saab stated that from January to August of this year, the Public Ministry has received 718 complaints of sexual abuse of children and adolescents.
“These are figures that should draw our attention. It is a mutating and global phenomenon. It is no longer necessary to travel the world to find out about these facts.”
In addition, he asked those present to break with all the myths that exist on the subject: “There is an urban legend from the 60s about the rapist who attacks a woman or a child; usually a stranger waiting for you in a corner to attack. Forget about that, sometimes the enemy is at home, or in the same educational center”.
Also present at the meeting were the presiding magistrate of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, Lourdes Suárez; the Minister of People’s Power for Culture, Ernesto Villegas; the Minister of Popular Power for Education, Yelitze Santaella and the Ombudsman, Alfredo Ruiz.
