Mallorca: MPs demand more help for child sex abuse victims

In Palma, Mallorca, on 5 November, a parliamentary committee unanimously backs a call for more specialist help for children who have suffered sexual violence. The Balearic Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee supports a seven-point People’s Party proposal seeking more judicial and forensic resources.

More specialists across the islands

The proposal asks the central government to provide enough psychologists, social workers and forensic specialists for the justice system, particularly staff who can speak with children and assess what they have experienced. It also calls for fair access to those specialists on Menorca, Eivissa and Formentera.

The committee wants the gradual introduction of Barnahus, a model for coordinated, specialist care for affected children. It asks the regional government to provide suitable space and speed up recruitment for the Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Unit, known as Utasi. The central government is asked to provide resources to help prevent children being harmed again by the justice process. The vote calls for these changes; it does not mean the staff or facilities are already in place.

Care workers also on the agenda

The committee also backs a Més per Menorca proposal on care and support for people who depend on it, though Vox votes against most of its points. It calls for a regional plan running to 2030, with funding, a timetable and ways to check its progress.

The proposal seeks emotional support, training and opportunities for a break for family and other non-professional carers. It also calls for an island-by-island study of staffing needs and asks the central government to bring forward a law covering pay, contracts and continuing training for care workers.

Topics: Social affairs · Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com