How to report it?
What happens next?
When we want to report a situation of sexual violence to the authorities, we can do so to different entities:
Reporting situations of sexual violence is free of charge and can be anonymous.
The person who contacts the authorities does not have to provide proof - all they have to do is mention that they suspect that the situation is happening and give as many details as they know: names, addresses, school the victim is attending, telephone numbers, when and where the situation happened, among other aspects.
As soon as the police authorities or the Court become aware of that denunciation, they are obliged to start the investigation.
Depending on the age of the person who committed the crime, there may be two types of proceedings:
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Criminal Proceedings - if the person who committed the act was, at least, at the time, 16 years old
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Educational Guardianship Process - if the person who committed the act was, at the time, between 12 and 15 years of age.
The way these two processes develop is different. To find out more, see here.
Do you know who all the people involved in a case are? See “Who's Who” here.
It is normal that every act in a Criminal Process or Educational Guardianship Process causes some fear in the victim or in the person reporting the situation.
However, no person is alone and can have support throughout the whole process!
All victims of crime have a set of rights. Do you know what these are? Click here to see them in detail.
Disclaimer
Some of the information on this website has been simplified so that it can be understood by everyone. This simplification does not, however, put in question the accuracy and correctness of the contents. The content of this website was created by APAV as part of the CARE plus project, funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The content reflects the point of view of APAV, which cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.
