Peru: 1,600 Child Abuse Claims for January-May

Agencia EFE writes that in Peru 1,579 child sexual assault cases were reported in the first five months of 2011. According to the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences 226 arrests were made due to the cases reported. The institute reports that 1,032 cases of indecent acts, which do not include rape, were reported in the same timeframe. According to the institute, 12 people who were prosecuted for rape under the age of seven are waiting for life sentences. For the year 2010, 17,111 cases of child sexual abuse of children between 13 and 17, were committed. The institute found that women and men are the assailants. Agencia EFE reports that in only 1.4% of the cases the officiating judge arranged protection for the child. Peruvian judicial systems fail to monitor cases of sexual violence and should implement special court and psychological says the institute.Read Article