Madrid, June 13, 2024.- The Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, warned today about the "harsh impact" that violence has on girls and boys, a reality that "can no longer be an invisible debate." Rego made this assessment during the Government's Initiatives for the Eradication of Violence against Children and Adolescents conference.
In this regard, the minister emphasized the need to continue developing all the tools provided by the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents against Violence Organic Law (LOPIVI), promoted by the progressive coalition government.
Rego described the law as "a milestone in Spain's history, the result of the work and support of many entities and associations in the country," which has profoundly transformed the paradigm of child protection in Spain. "Just as we have had a public debate on violence against women, which has been useful and has allowed us to advance and build a better society, we need to have a debate on violence against children to expand their rights," she asserted.
The minister recalled Spain's international commitments to children's rights, especially the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and stressed the need for laws and policies to reflect this perspective. "In our world, the laws we create are in many cases developed behind the backs of children and adolescents," Rego stated.
The head of the Youth and Children Ministry also addressed several critical issues the ministry is working on, including child poverty, mental health, and safety in digital environments. On the latter point, the minister highlighted the work being done by the committee of 50 experts to create "a national intergenerational agreement to build safe digital environments."
In her speech, Rego also referred to violence in institutional and associative spaces, mentioning the Ombudsman's report on abuses in the Church as an important path to follow. "The protection of children in these spaces must be a priority," she insisted.
Another aspect addressed was vicarious violence, a form of violence that seeks to harm women through their children. The minister assured that her department, in coordination with other ministries, is working on a package of measures to combat this issue.
Automatically translated with OpenAI from Spanish