CHILE
Washington Post
Chile’s president announces measures to combat child sex abuse after recent spike in reports
By Associated Press, Published: July 18
SANTIAGO, Chile — Chile’s president announced measures Wednesday to combat child abuse, responding to a popular outcry over an increase in reports of such crimes in one of Latin America’s most socially conservative countries.
The government already banned convicted pedophiles from working near children last month under a new law that also requires those convicted of sexually abusing minors or of child pornography to be registered in a database.
President Sebastian Pinera said Wednesday the database will be fully working starting in August. He also said Chile will toughen penalties on convicted pedophiles, increase the forensic institute budget by $1.6 million and create a children’s ombudsman to protect their rights.
“With sadness and indignation we’ve heard serious reports in the past weeks of sex abuse by adults who had the responsibility to educate them, to protect them but who instead threatened against that which is most sacred in our children” Pinera said at a news conference.
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