Reports of child abuse trebled since Casa Pia scandal broke in Portugal

Publico

Carlos Farinhas, assistant director at Lisbon's Judiciary Police [PJ, plainclothes detectives] has said that he is certain the reason why the number of reports of child abuse shot up in 2002, "is related to the Casa Pia case in Lisbon" [major trial into paedophilia allegations at Portugal's largest children's care home], made public that November, but also with the "changes that occurred in the law in the year 2000" regarding the review of the competencies of the police forces (putting child abuse investigations under the jurisdiction of Judiciary Police). These changes took place in stages and their implementation was concluded in January 2002.

Accordingly, the number of cases opened by police has trebled: in 2002, PJ carried out 364 investigations, against 1,075 last year. However, the authorities believe this figure could still be higher, given that the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) can file for special jurisdiction over some cases.

Nevertheless, the official stressed that this situation is not exceptional. A similar situation occurred in 1997 when a scandal broke in the island of Madeira following the discovery of an international peaedophilia ring that operated in the region. In 1998, the number of reported cases of abuse increased, "especially in Madeira", only to drop in the subsequent two years and increase again in 2001.