The Barcelona Complaints Board: A bulwark against sexual violence
The Sindicatura de Greuges de Barcelona, an institution dedicated to the defense of citizens’ rights, has assumed a firm commitment in the fight against hateful sexual violence. Its mission is to provide victims of harassment and sexual assault with an additional protection mechanism, guaranteeing their attention and treatment in accordance with the law, as well as reparation processes for the damage suffered.
The Working Group: A melting pot of subject matter experts
Driven by this concern, the Ombudsman created a Working Group made up of experts from various fields (health, legal, journalism, etc.) in the city. This group has embarked on two specific initiatives: a study on the accessibility of care services for victims of sexual violence in Barcelona, and the creation of a Reparation Commission for victims of abuse in public schools.
The Reparation Commission: A beacon of hope for victims
On May 9, 2022, the Sindicatura de Greuges de Barcelona issued a statement on the complaints of sexual abuse and harassment at the Barcelona School, committed by an educator for 20 years. In said statement, recommendations were made aimed at various areas of Barcelona City Council.
The Ombudsman expressed its deep concern about the apparent inaction of the institutions responsible for the city’s educational centers, which were not assuming their responsibilities in the face of such serious events. This concern was aggravated by the commitment of Barcelona City Council, in an institutional Declaration, to investigate the acts of sexual violence that allegedly occurred at the Barcelona School.
Given the lack of a formal response from the council to the recommendations of the Audit Office, almost a year after the resolution, the Reparation Commission was created in April 2023 for victims of sexual violence in childhood, adolescence and youth in Barcelona schools. .
It is important to remember that these victims lack other mechanisms of justice and reparation, since the facts have expired in the criminal sphere.
Goals of the Reparation Commission: Heal wounds and prevent future atrocities
The Reparation Commission, made up of three experts in care for victims of sexual violence and a multidisciplinary advisory group coordinated by the Ombudsman, has as its main objectives:
To date, several victims of abuse have approached the Reparation Commission. The Ombudsman is preparing a report on the work of this body, which will include the reparation measures requested by the people served. Among the demands received, the holding of a closed-door event with the surviving victims stands out, in which the responsible administrations apologize.
The role of the Audit Office: A beacon of hope in the midst of darkness
The Sindicatura de Greuges de Barcelona decided to create this Reparation Commission for several reasons. First of all, it is not a commission of inquiry: the events that occurred at the Barcelona School (and in other schools in the city) have already been exposed in judicial complaints (prescribed) and in various media.
The Commission offers a space for active listening to accompany surviving victims and explore ways to repair the consequences suffered by abuse and humiliation suffered at school age.
Complicit silence: An obstacle to justice and reparation
90% of cases of sexual abuse come to light in adulthood, since children do not dare to speak. Studies show that victims of childhood sexual abuse who have not been able to report it or receive help are in a vulnerable situation and experience cumulative episodes of violence.
Revelations usually occur between the ages of 20 and 40. Even though many years have passed, the surviving victims do not forget and there comes a time when they dare to speak out and report. However, they encounter the wall of impunity and cover-up.
Impunity because, in addition to the humiliation and vexation of the events, there is also the silence that surrounds the perpetrator. Once the step is taken, many cases have already prescribed, which generates a deep feeling of helplessness.
Regarding the helplessness of the surviving victims, we find the repeated obstructionist attitude of the institutions when investigating the facts. The complicit silence of the institutions that cover up, that do not provide institutional support to the surviving victims; institutions that prefer to remain silent rather than make the problem visible, listen and assume responsibilities.
Breaking the silence: Towards a future without impunity
Although the statute of limitations has expired, the time has come to pull up the rug. We cannot leave the surviving victims alone. Once the silence is broken, it is necessary to create measures that protect them, give them security and avoid reprisals or the abandonment of their cases.
Crimes may prescribe, but the consequences cannot. If we want justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition, it is time to start knowing what happened in many of our schools and evaluate the consequences of those events. Although we cannot go back and change the beginning, we can start where we are and change the ending.
It is for these reasons that the Sindicatura de Greuges of Barcelona created the Reparation Commission. And it is for these reasons that we consider that, once the reparation act has been held in which the institutions assume their responsibilities, foreseeably in June of this year, it will be necessary to formalize between the City Council and the Sindicatura de Greuges de Barcelona the creation of a Commission Repair of a permanent nature for future disclosures.
