Child sexual abuse is a crime with a high prevalence in the world. The low level of complaints makes sexual offenders feel confident that they will not be discovered or punished and act with impunity, destroying the lives of millions of children and adolescents. In the United States and Latin America there have been some efforts to tighten regulations. sentences for sexual abuse; However, progress is not always encouraging.
For both survivors of sexual abuse and their families, it is very difficult and painful to share these types of stories. The fear of threats from the perpetrator, revictimization and stigmatization means that, many times, silence is the “best option.” For this reason, it is important to keep in mind that breaking the silence can save lives and reporting the facts to the authorities is an effective way to stop sexual offenders.
Today we want to invite you to learn a little more about sentences for sexual abuse both in the United States and in Latin America.
Sentences for child sexual abuse in the United States
In the United States, each state has different legislation for this crime, which takes into account factors such as the conditions under which the aggression occurred and the magnitude of the abuse. According to this, the sentence can be more or less forceful.
So in the United States the sentence for sexual abuse can vary according to:
- The state in which the assault occurred.
- If there was sexual penetration.
- The damages that the victim has suffered as a result of the abuse.
- The age of the abused minor.
- The background of the perpetrator of the abuse.
Thus, the local law of the place where the crime was committed determines the sentence for sexual abuse. For example, in the state of Florida, an adult who has sexually abused a child under 12 years of age can receive a sentence of 30 years or life imprisonmentwhile in the state of California The minimum sentence is seven years and the maximum is 13for cases of abuse or rape against minors.
Sentences for child sexual abuse in Latin America
In Latin America, each nation has legislation and although in some countries the penalties for sexual offenders have been toughened, the prevalence rates are still very high, while the reporting rates remain very low.
Find out below the Sentences for child sexual abuse in the main Latin American countries:
- Argentina: Sentence up to 20 years in prison for minor rapists.
- Chili: Penalty of between three and 10 years.
- Colombia: In cases of sexual abuse against minors under 14 years of age, the penalty is 12 to 20 years in prison.
- Mexico: In 25 of the country’s 32 states, child sexual abuse is not considered a serious crime. The sentences can range between three and six years in prisonhaving the right to be released after paying fines.
- Peru: Sentences of up to life imprisonment for perpetrators of child sexual abuse.
- Venezuela: The sentence can be from three to 20 years in prisondepending on the circumstances of the case.
As you can see, impunity is a factor that encourages the actions of sexual predators and although legislation does not always impose severe sentences to punish this crime, The first option should always be to report. In this way, the chain of sexual abuse is broken and it is possible to prevent many more people from becoming victims.
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But what is considered sexual abuse?
In addition to lax legislation, another factor that makes reporting sexual abuse difficult is the lack of clarity of the forms of abuse and is only associated with the use of physical force and whether penetration occurs or not. For this reason, it is important to remember the different ways in which abuse occurs:
- Caresses, kisses or sexual contact with children or adolescents.
- Forcing a minor to perform sexual acts with or without penetration.
- Forced masturbation in minors.
- Sexual assaults that include the introduction of objects into the genitals of minors.
- Persuasion or threats to obtain sexual favors from minors.
- Exposure to sexually explicit material.
Although we usually normalize these types of situations, all of them They constitute a crime against the innocence of children.
In it # Movement We are aware of the devastating consequences that sexual abuse can have on the life of a survivor and we are convinced that there are two fundamental elements to stop this silent pandemic: educate our children and adolescents so that they have tools to protect themselves and break the silence to break the chain of sexual abuse and prevent other people from becoming victims. and.