The Left

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Spain is on a complete System overhaul for the protection from sexual abuse, especially thanks to a campaign by British pianist and Madrid resident James Rhodes .

Mr. Rhodes has written, about the, repeatedly raped by A Teacher , as a London school boy, is proud that his contacts with The Left -wing Government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and The Other parties seem to be on The Verge , culminating in a law that he says will become a "global benchmark" for the protection of children.

But he is also counting The Personal cost of becoming an actor on Spain 's turbulent political stage, where not even a law on Child Abuse is immune against the most intense battles between The Left and the right.

Mr Rhodes, 44, moved to Spain in the year 2017, and says he immediately fell in love with the beauty of the country, culture and language.

"But there was this one thing that I could not unite, and it was that every week was a different story of rape, Child Abuse , not only in The Church , but in schools and families," he told the BBC, in his Madrid apartment.

What bothered him the most is that The Victims in Spain have a legal System that he describes as "centuries out of date", and required to give children, testimony several times in court rooms and also in The Presence of their perpetrators.

Mr. Rhodes contacted the Prime Minister Sánchez in the year 2018, and the Socialist Party leader, promised to take action. But in the midst of tension over Catalonia's bid for independence and political instability leads to short-lived parliaments, there was no progress.

Mr. Rhodes Social Media , and to press the Spanish press and television to make his case to Spain 's Deputy Prime Minister , Pablo Iglesias of Podemos party, announced earlier this month that the Rhodes law would be one of the new left coalition Government 's first reforms.

"This law must be said not only for the protection of boys and girls in Our Country , but also to a global reference for the protection of children's rights," Mr Iglesias said.

Pablo Iglesias, the Government announced the support for the Rhodes law in February

As well as to make it easier for children to abuse, and that I testify only once before a specialized judge, The Law will focus on prevention and education. There is also the Statute of limitations is not changed, so that these crimes are time-barred, The Victim is up to 15 years, after 30 years of age, instead of counting, from the age of 18.

The so-called Rhodes-The Law is only one of A Number of social reforms by the Government of Sánchez, including consent-based legislation to rape, and the legalization of euthanasia promised.

But far from uniting, for Spaniards, these legal changes come to fruition, in a toxic political environment.

Conservative opposition people's party (PP) and to the right Vox have accused the Government of hypocrisy and cover-up after his left-wing allies in the Balearic Islands refused to back an inquiry in the regional Parliament in reports of minors in care is to be prostituted.

PP-politician Margarita Prohens, said in Congress on Tuesday, the were Ministers, such as Mr. Iglesias, "the quarrel among themselves, to put a name to The Child protection reform", while "protection of the members of the administration in charge of the girl, because she is of The Left ".

Sexual violence is a big issue in Spain

Mr. Rhodes is sad to admit that The Children 's protection act, "has become a political football".

But he complains of those who forget the points, The Victims you claim to care so deeply about.

"If there are any issues all Political Parties agree, it is this. And if that was the case, it would have been passed months ago. Had anyone in Congress have to go through what I went through, passed. "

While he regrets that the irony in some of his comments on Social Media , has not been estimated, such as when he described the hit Vox leader, Santiago Abascal with a chair, Mr Rhodes want to say that the changes, which will help millions of children, the exposure is More Than worth it.

"I am abuse not a Poster Boy for a child. I'm a pianist. But I can't say I want to be a citizen of This Country , which I do, and looking The Other way when things are so barbaric. "

- abuse cases are "the tip of The Iceberg '

According to Save The Children of the current report on Spain , 453 adults were convicted of sexual abuse or rape of children under the age of 16 years, in 2018, an increase of 40% compared to the previous year. But save The Children , " director general in Spain , Andrés Conde, said that these figures are only the tip of an iceberg whose dimensions calculate, No One can, with safety.

"It is becoming more apparent Every Day , that Spain has a huge problem with violence against children and especially sexual violence against boys, girls and adolescents. Politicians cannot continue to look The Other way," said Mr. Conde.

Meanwhile, has become Spain 's Catholic Church , the authorities did not respond, to Pope Francis call for The Church to deal with pedophiles among their ranks Spain 's bishops ' conference announced that it is upgrading its protocols on dealing with instances of abuse two years ago, but no progress reported.

you have found After a year of 2018, the report by the newspaper El País over The Past three decades, Spanish criminal courts, priests guilty of sexual assaults on 33 occasions, with 80 minimum. El País also found that only three of Spain had passed 70 dioceses, to information on cases of abuse to the country's Criminal Justice System .

madrid, spain, child abuse

Source of news: bbc.com