Acting on the disclosure
and/or suspicion

Reporting is mandatory for anyone who has knowledge of situations which can endanger the life, physical or psychological integrity or freedom of a child under the age of 18.

The child should be informed (although their consent is not necessary) that they will have to contact other entities so that they can better help them.

The aim of this investigation is not only to find out who has committed the crime, but also to protect the victim.

The fast contact with the police or judicial authorities allows the investigation to be conducted more quickly, the victim to be heard in a shorter period of time and physical and/or testimonial evidence to be preserved.

Sometimes the avoidance in approaching the situation and/or denouncing it may be understood as a discredit or devaluation of the violence suffered by the victim, who may internalise and assimilate feelings of guilt.

Even though in some cases the criminal court case may lead to secondary victimization, due to the contact with the Criminal Justice System, there is the possibility that it may also function as a catharsis, in the sense that the victim may get rid of that secret, perceive that she is not to blame and that something is being done so that other children are not victims of sexual violence.

To learn more about how to report a crime and how a Criminal Proceeding is carried out, click here.

If the offender is between 12 and 15 years of age, a Educational Guardianship Process is initiated, rather than a criminal process. To find out more, click here.

DAfter the child discloses the situation and/or the subsequent reporting, it is important that this moment is positively reinforced and validated.

It is also fundamental that the adult to whom the child discloses remains available to support the victim: in fact, it was in that person that the victim trusted to make the disclosure, so that is a sign that they are a trustworthy adult.

Offering support does not mean constantly asking the victim how they are or how they feel, but only leaving the possibility of asking for help open.

It is also important not to make unrealistic or unfulfillable promises to the child (for instance, "you will never see that person again!" or "you will only talk about it once, and that will be to the Police! Afterwards, you will never be asked about it again")

After the disclosure and report, it is also important to deal with the situation in a discreet way.

If you are a professional working for an Institution, it is important to comply with the internal procedures in these cases, and only communicate with those to whom the procedure so requires, avoiding as much as possible talking to other professionals of the same Institution about the case, either for counselling, or to get off their chest what they have just heard.

These parallel conversations may cause that, out of curiosity or in order to provide support, other people may question the victim, or treat them differently from the other children or young people, because of the disclosure.

In all other cases, it is important, for the protection of the physical and psychological integrity of the victim, not to expose the situation to the curiosity of other people (e.g. telling neighbours, posting on social networks, etc.), by only talking to professionals and people who, outside of the professional scope, may effectively help the victim.