IPS-English CUBA: State-of-the-Art Centre Minimises Trauma of Sexual Abuse Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:13:08 -0800 Dalia Acosta HAVANA, Feb 15 (IPS) - The young boy speaks in barely audible tones and hardly looks up from the stuffed animal that he turns over and over in his hands. The counsellor helps him, repeating his words, prompting him to continue, but without ever asking ”what happened?” or ”how did you feel?” Despite the boy's visible anxiety, the story slowly emerges. The sessions are taped on two DVDs, one of which will be used in the trial while the other will immediately be sealed and archived against any possible allegation of attempted manipulation of the evidence. It is the recording itself that will be presented in court. The boy himself will never be called on to testify, and will not have to face the perpetrator of the abuse to which he was subjected. ”The main objective is to obtain tape recorded proof that meets the requisites for being presented as evidence in court,” said Niurka Ronda, director of the governmental Centre for the Protection of Children and Adolescents, which opened in February 2005 in Havana and is the only one of its kind in Cuba. The Centre dealt with just over 100 cases in 2007, most of which were referred to it by the police, who received the complaints, although some victims came directly to the Centre itself. ”We help anyone who comes to us looking for help,” Ronda told IPS. In its first comprehensive study of violence against children, presented in 2006, the World Health Organisation estimated that 150 million girls and 73 million boys under 18 experienced forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence in 2002. According to research, an estimated 20 percent of girls and up to 10 percent of boys have been sexually abused at some point in their lives. In Cuba, as in the rest of the world, a large proportion of cases are never reported. In addition, not only are reliable figures hard to come by, but the government is still ”fearful” of releasing whatever statistics are available, said sexologist Mariela Castro, the director of the Cuban National Centre for Sex Education. A study by the Cuban Institute of Legal Medicine, based on 246 cases opened in 2001 involving complaints of sexual abuse of children and teenagers under the age of 16, found that over half of the victims were between the ages of 11 and 15 and that 75 percent were girls. The head of the Interior Ministry's office on minors, Colonel Enrique Pérez, told the press in late January that these cases represent less than five percent of all reported crimes. ”There is fear of alarming the public,” Castro, the daughter of acting President Raúl Castro, told IPS. ”Sensationalism causes harm in any area. There is a belief that by talking about these problems, they are blown out of proportion, but there is a need to deal with them in an adequate manner,” she said. Castro and Ronda concur that in comparison with other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, children and adolescents in Cuba are at an advantage, given the protections put in place and the overall educational level of the population. ”These incidents are reported more frequently now than they used to be. I think that's because there is a greater openness to information about and understanding of these issues. There are cases that reach us immediately, through teachers. Children talk a lot to their teachers, especially if the teachers are young and feel close to their students,” said Ronda. Nevertheless, she said, few people know about the Centre for the Protection of Children and Adolescents or are aware of where to turn in such cases or of how to detect incidents of child abuse. One of the proposed solutions to these problems is the creation of a hot-line, she added. Ronda said most of the cases involve molestation without rape, and that very few cases of severe abuse like rape are reported. The information was presented at a Jan. 28-Feb. 1 regional conference on protection of children, held in Havana. ”When these things take place, in most cases it is between peers. For example, a boy who does not understand when his girlfriend refuses to have sex, and assumes he has the right, and blames the victim for what he did. In three and a half years of work, we have never received a case involving the rape of a little girl,” she told IPS. The initiative, which will soon be extended to two other provinces, in central and eastern Cuba, is the result of cooperation between the Interior Ministry and the British NGO Child Protection Development Trust, with the support of several Cuban agencies and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). At the Centre, young victims of sexual abuse, accompanied by family members, are first given time to relax by playing games, using the computer, or cuddling friendly pets. They are given their choice of activity, and also choose which of the specialists they want to work with. The victim receives exclusive attention, as two cases are never dealt with simultaneously at the Centre. ”During the preparatory phase, there is no attempt to diagnose the victim, by their behaviour. The aim is to make them feel comfortable and enable them to channel their feelings as they arise. Sometimes when they show up they are crying, or vomiting, or chewing their fingernails. We have to work with them for as long as they need,” explained Grethel Ortiz, one of the professionals at the Centre. To guarantee quality sound recordings, the sessions are taped in the most isolated room in the house, where the ceiling was lowered, carpeting was laid and double-pane windows were installed. Two cameras were installed from different angles, to show that the recording was done in proper circumstances, without the presence of anyone who could pressure the victim. In an adjoining room, family members, experts and representatives of the public prosecutor's office and the defence watch the session live, and through a system of headphones remain in contact with the professional working with the youngster -- the only person allowed in the room with the victim. The way the Centre is structured is part of its success, Tony Butler, the head of the Child Protection Development Trust, told the press. The Centre is a house located in a quiet residential area, rather than a cold institution staffed by people in uniforms, he explained, adding that everything is set up so that the children and teenagers can relax. The technology employed at the Centre comes from Britain, and is certified for use in that country's justice system. In Cuba, the Supreme Court approved the procedure so that the videotaped sessions with the youngsters can be used as evidence, in order to avoid the need for minors to testify in court. Under Cuba's penal code, sexual abuse is punishable by fines or by prison sentences of two to 30 years or, in especially aggravated cases, the death penalty. Incest is considered an aggravating factor. Reforms to the 1997 penal code established sentences of seven to 15 years for those found guilty of commercial sexual exploitation or pornography involving minors under the age of 16, and sentences of 20 to 30 years or capital punishment if the victim is under the age of 12. However, minors who have committed such crimes are exempt from this punishment. ”In Cuba, decree law 64, passed in 1986, establishes that minors who commit crimes are not subject to criminal punishment. There are no juvenile courts or juvenile lockups in Cuba,” said Pérez. According to UNICEF representative in Cuba Juan José Ortiz, this country is a model in terms of protection of children. ”There is a great tendency to complain that ‘we have no resources.' Cuba is proof that if the political will exists, the resources are found,” he said. ***** + AUSTRALIA: Plan to Curb Aboriginal Child Abuse Sparks Debate (http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=38349) + Incidencia de abuso sexual en niños y adolescentes - in Spanish (http://www.monografias.com/trabajos15/incidencia-abuso-sexual/incidencia-abuso-sexual.shtml) (END/IPS/LA CA IP HD PR CS CO/TRASP-SW/DA/DM/08) = 02152016 ORP013 NNNN