Casa Pia
| Location | Lisbon, Portugal |
|---|
The Casa Pia child sexual abuse scandal was a case of decades of VIPaedophile child sexual abuse involving a number of children and employees at Casa Pia, a Portuguese state-run institution for the education and support of poor children and under-age orphans.[1]
Casa Pia
Casa Pia is a renowned public charitable institution, a home for young orphans and disadvantaged children, founded in 1780, and which manages around ten centers throughout the country which accommodate around 4,600 minors. In 2003, it was exposed that over several decades, 128 children, the majority of whom were orphans, but also deaf and mute or even mentally handicapped, were allegedly abused with the indifference of school directors and public authorities. One employee of the institution ran a male child prostitution network involving 100 boys.[1]
Several names of prominent personalities have been cited among the adults involved in this vast network of child sex offenders. A few were prosecuted, while others were too powerful, benefiting from a rigorous application of statue of limitations.
First revelations
Although some reports of abuse date back to before the Carnation Revolution in 1974, it was not until 1981 that the Judiciary Police accused a Casa Pia employee of raping dozens of children over a 30-year period, and of providing children to several men of Portuguese nationality and foreigners, including some prominent personalities from Portugal.[1]
Second revelations
Although the affair broke in 2002, it was later revealed that Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio's predecessor, General António Ramalho Eanes, was aware of accusations of a prostitution ring 20 years earlier, but complaints to police at the time seem to have given no follow-up or to have disappeared. The practicalities were organized by a former school guard, Carlos Silvino, alias Bibi. According to the prosecution, he chose his victims "among especially vulnerable children, lacking affection and without male parental references". [Citation Needed]
On December 29, 2003, the Attorney General of the Republic, José Souto Moura, formally accused ten high-ranking personalities of having committed "sexual violence against children and practicing the prostitution of minors". Among those charged are:
- Showbiz stars, including the comedian Herman José and the star presenter, Carlos Cruz , 62, who was to be Portuguese presenter at the 2004 European Football Cup. He had already been mentioned in relation to similar events in the 1980s: at the time, shoe boxes full of photos of children were found in his home, but these pieces of evidence had mysteriously disappeared and things remained there;[citation needed]
- Notables such as the archaeologist Francisco Alves and the doctor Ferreira Diniz, known to the general public for having hosted a daily program on the Catholic radio station Radio Renascença, and who allegedly made the children of Casa Pia undergo examinations, in order to ensure that they did not suffer from venereal infections before their introduction into the network of these high society pedophiles;
- A dignitary of high diplomacy, the former ambassador Jorge Ritto, for whom, in his residence, orgies were allegedly organized during which children from Casa Pia were delivered by Bibi to notables;
- The former Minister of Labor and Solidarity and socialist deputy Paulo Pedroso;
- Former students spoke of other pedophile orgies which allegedly took place in a quiet villa in Alentejo where Bibi took them and where sixty people participated.
The personalities involved were all known for their left-wing opinions, including several from the Socialist Party of Mário Soares. The supporters of the accused used this particularity of the case to cry political conspiracy and went so far as to welcome the MP Paulo Pedroso as a hero in Parliament, when he was released on bail. According to Pedro Namora, formerly of Casa Pia, today a renowned lawyer, and who coordinates the network of former victims: "as soon as notables were implicated, politicians discovered that it was necessary to reform the Penal Code and reinforce the presumption of innocence. They quickly moved from the rights of the child to those of the accused. And they forgot the victims”.[citation needed]
The authorities had known the following for a long time:
- In 1975, already denounced by teachers at Casa Pia for "pedophile practices" , Bibi was questioned by the police before being released;
- In 1982, the Secretary of State for the Family, Teresa Costa Macedo, raised the alarm, providing in a report evidence of acts of child abuse within Casa Pia, but her report was closed without follow-up. Today she accuses António Ramalho Eanes (President of the Republic between 1976 and 1986) of having turned a blind eye. The judicial police recently recognized that these documents were destroyed in 1993;
- In 1989, the same Bibi was expelled from Casa Pia for "pedophile practices", but was reinstated two years later by a court decision.
- In any case, many prominent personalities never need worry, because, as the statute of limitations dictates, the judges only focus on acts committed since 1995.[citation needed]
