Spain passes law protecting child victims of sexual abuse

Spain’s parliament approved a new bill under which survivors of child sexual abuse will be able to report the crimes for up to 15 years after turning 35. This is a major change from the current regulation, which allows victims to report abuse for 15 years after turning 18. According to James Rhodes, a pianist and sexual abuse survivor behind the bill, this is an essential step as it takes years for victims to be ready to speak about their experiences. The text passed on 13 of April with more than 200 amendments which outline child protection in schools, families, health care and online. In addition, the bill will also create special courts for cases involving violence against children and minimize the number of times that children under the age of 14 must testify, in order to avoid retraumatizing them.