Four young children named in connection with a homophobic assault on a girl in San Vicente will be monitored by the police and the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office. Despite their ages—one is 11, another is 12, and two are 13—the case cannot lead to criminal charges against them. The Ministry of Public Affairs contends that there will be a prosecution solely due to the seriousness of the incidents and the high risk to the minors involved. Officials have requested information from the Social Services department in the youths’ home area for both the children and their families and plan to review the educational measures already in place as the only feasible steps at this stage.
Article 17 of the juvenile law, which concerns minors aged under 14 who are in conflict with the law, states that these youths should be placed under a monitoring plan. This plan, designed and implemented by the social services of each autonomous community, includes an assessment of the minors’ socio-family circumstances. When violence against a minor involves crimes against freedom, sexual integrity, or gender-based violence, the monitoring plan must incorporate an educational module on gender equality. The incident involved a 15-year-old girl who, despite facing punches and homophobic insults, found the courage to report the attack on her Instagram profile.
Authorities from the Civil Guard identified the attack as hate-motivated. The events took place in a specific urban development in San Vicente, after one of the minors climbed a fence and opened a door for the others to enter. Three of the men were confronted by the officers; the oldest was identified as the person who delivered the punch that broke the victim’s nose. They explained that they had interacted with him as a witness, while the girl reportedly responded to the confrontation.
My daughter is also underage and unprotected
“My daughter is also underage and unprotected. He is the one who should look back as the victim, and those who struck him and hurled insults should carry on with their lives as if nothing happened.” The mother of the girl who suffered the homophobic assault in San Vicente has spoken out, urging changes to the Minors Act. She argues that stealing a cellphone does not equate to assault on a girl. She stresses she does not seek revenge, but wants assurances that those who attacked her daughter will not act again. She also highlights a troubling paradox: the girl who defended herself against aggression is, in some contexts, being blamed simply for standing up to the aggressors, even as she is just 15.