The General Directorate for Children, Youth, and Families of the Balearic Government filed a complaint with the National Police on December 1 regarding alleged harassment of two brothers in Mallorca. Although minors are protected by the Consell de Mallorca through the Institut Mallorquí d’Afers Socials IMAS, government staff have publicly criticized IMAS for inaction to justify the claim. The mother presented eight written communications to IMAS beginning in 2018 and reported that the children had disclosed sexual assaults. Officials from the Consell de Mallorca, including the director of Childhood and Youth, denied that the mother had previously reported abuses against her children. The police, however, collected those communications and were alerted to the alleged sexual assaults mentioned by the mother.
María Ángeles Fernández, the island director of Childhood and Family for the Consell, indicated that IMAS has worked with the family since 2009 because multiple risk indicators concerning minors were identified. She asserted that the mother did not report any abuse of her children during that period.
Fernández noted that IMAS social workers conducted investigations and made a decision. In 2015, custody of the minor was transferred from the mother to the father, a move later upheld by a family court. The determination at that time was that the father was best suited to care for the children.
A 53-year-old man was arrested recently, together with a 71-year-old associate, following an investigation by the National Police Family and Women’s Unit UFAM. The inquiry found that the older man had repeatedly abused the children over several years and had claimed payment from the father for these acts.
Both detainees were released after giving statements, while the court on duty ordered their suspension. Following the arrests, IMAS took custody of the children from the father and returned them to the mother. A reassessment subsequently determined that the mother was in a better position to care for the children, according to Fernández.
Although the mother had not reported the abuses, the island administrator stated that IMAS learned of the situation in August and filed a complaint to UFAM Police. This complaint reportedly triggered the police investigation, though no further details were provided about why the father had held custody over the past four months.
Statements from the island director describe a complaint submitted by the General Directorate for Children, Youth, and Family to the Police on December 1 that referenced the alleged inaction by IMAS in this case. The filing is described as the catalyst for UFAM’s inquiry, which resulted in the arrest of the father and a friend on charges related to minor sexual abuse and bribery.
During the investigation, authorities collected eight communications from the children’s mother to IMAS, with the earliest dated in 2018, in which she warned that the children reported experiencing sexual abuse.