Chile to Investigate 120 Schools in Light of Sex Abuse Reports

By Rachel Stevenson
I Love Chile
July 30, 2012

http://ilovechile.cl/2012/07/30/chile-to-investigate-120-schools-in-light-of-sex-abuse-reports/64281

Mapof sexual abuse investigations in Santiago. Photo courtesy of Fiscalia de Chile.

The Chilean Public Prosecution Office will investigate 120 schools in Santiago after a series of sex abuse allegations concerning minors were uncovered.

It has been revealed that during the first half of 2012, sexual crimes against children under 14 years have increased by 22 percent.

Although Chile is a conservative country strongly influenced by the Catholic Church, the image of the institution has been damaged in recent years due to a series of scandals involving priests sexually abusing minors.

In 2010 it was confirmed that one of the most respected priests, Fernando Karadima, sexually abused four teenage boys.

Just last week it was reported that John O’Reilly, a priest working at Colegio Cumbres in Santiago, has been accused of sexually abusing a four-year-old child. The investigation is to be carried out by Public Prosecutor Ignacio Pinto.

The location of the alleged crime is in the wealthy neighbourhood of Las Condes. Many of the abuse cases have been in the more affluent areas.

In light of these allegations, National Public Prosecutor Sabas Chahuan has set out a strategy to investigate those accused of sexual crimes.

“As Public Prosecution we investigate sexual crimes wherever they are committed, no matter who commits them, because we must rigorously pursue these types of crimes,” he declared. ”If a clergyman, civilian, or soldier is accused, they will be treated the same. What matters is that the crime is suppressed.”

He also assured impartiality in the investigations, and that innocence will be presumed until evidence is put forth.

In June, the government prohibited convicted pedophiles from working with children. This came in accordance with a new law obliging those sentenced for child sexual abuse or child pornography to register on a database.

President Pinera also recently announced ten further measures to combat sexual abuse against minors, including lengthening the amount of time that convicted pedophiles must remain on the register, as well as modifying the system for the testimonies of victims of sexual abuse.