Violence against minors: Sardinia records an increase of 34 percent

Crimes against minors are constantly increasing in Italy. And Sardinia is no exception: in 2021 alone 156 crimes involving minors were recorded on the island , 34 percent more than in 2020.

These are the data disseminated by Terre des Hommes based on information from the Criminal Analysis Service of the Criminal Police Central Directorate. For the first time , explains the report presented on the occasion of the publication of the dossier “The condition of girls and girls in the world”, 6 thousand is exceeded, reaching the number of 6,248 crimes.

Of these, 64 percent are of episodes “against girls and girls fueled by sexual violence , which also records an absolute record with 1,332 cases, of which young girls are 88 percent of the victims”.

Looking at Sardinia , cases have grown by 34 per cent : 57 are attributable to maltreatment (+ 58% from 2020) and 37 to sexual violence (+ 54% from 2020), the latter 95% of girls and girls (35) ".

Lombardy , on the other hand, is confirmed as the region with the highest number of crimes against minors: 1175 in 2021. The crimes in the other regions were: 787 in Emilia-Romagna, 571 in Lazio, 564 in Sicily, 488 in Veneto, 427 in Piedmont, 405 in Tuscany, 359 in Campania, 253 in Puglia, 186 in Liguria, 170 in Calabria, 163 in Trentino-Alto Adige, 152 in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, 114 in Marche, 102 in Umbria, 99 in Abruzzo, 47 in Basilicata, 18 in Molise, 9 in Valle d'Aosta.

2021, the second of the coronavirus pandemic, has generally presented a dramatic jump of 8 percent in crimes against minors compared to 2020 (5,789 cases) and 89 percent since 2004 (3,311 cases).

The prevalence of victims is largely female for all those concerning the sexual background.

But crimes in the home are also increasing against minors, namely the mistreatment of family members and cohabitants, which in 2021 affected 2,501 young people, 54% of which were female.

Finally, also in 2021 one third of the 20 victims of "forced marriages" were minors, in particular 6 per cent were under the age of 14 and 27 per cent between 14 and 17 years. The victims are 85 per cent female and 64 per cent of foreign origin, while 71 per cent of the known perpetrators are male.

"From the data - explains Stefano Delfini , director of the Criminal Analysis Service of the Central Direction of the Criminal Police of the Department of Public Security - a non-marginal and very serious phenomenon emerges due to the consequences on the psycho-physical development of the victims".

“It is essential to work on data collection to bring out the episodes of violence that still remain submerged - adds Paolo Ferrara , general manager of Terres des Hommes -. However, we must also focus our efforts on information and awareness, because, we must not forget this, the roots of gender-based violence remain above all cultural . In this Terre des Hommes there is and will be, in teamwork with the Police Forces, the world of school and sport, with hospitals and an ever wider network of associations and local authorities ”.

(Unioneonline / ss)