FADA Barcelona/ Spanien
  

Associacio FADA
Asociación para el apoyo y la prevención de los abusos sexuales a menores
C/Fontanella 20 5a
E - Barcelona

Beratung und Hilfe für Opfer sexueller Gewalt, Telefonnotruf, Selbsthilfegruppen, Präventionsarbeit.   
 

1. INTRODUCTION.

1.1 WHO ARE WE?

The FADA association was created in 1997 based on the initiative of a group of people concerned with the issue of minors’ sexual abuse.

In order to get a global view of the work being developed in the field of children sexual abuse a research work was undertaken to spot the different programs and experiences developed in diferent countries of the European Union, the United States and Canada regarding childhood.

The result of the research work highlighted the lack of specialized resources for the prevention and advice of the aforementioned problem at the Spanish level, and therefore FADA was structured and consolidated in order to offer an integral answer at the psycological, social and legal levels to the abuse situations.

Name of the organization: Associació FADA per a l’Assessorament i la Prevenció dels Abusos Sexuals a Menors.

Adress: c/ Fontanella, 20, 5è A, 08010 de Barcelona.

Telephone: 93/318.97.69 Fax: 93/342.53.12 E-mail: asfada@suport.org

Legal status: non profit making organization since March 7th 1997.

Generalitat Associations Register: 19.229.

Physcal Number: G61208450.

President: Sra. Ma Victòria Bernadet i Rius.

Target population:      
  
   Children and teenagers who have suffered or suffer sexual abuse.
 
   Families involved in abuse situations.
 
   Adults who have suffered sexual abuse during their childhood or youth.
 
   Private persons, schools, teachers, monitors, social service teams, organizations, students, etc. Interested in general in the problem of minors’ sexual abuse.

  
Geographic Area of Action: Catalonia.

1.2.WHAT IS CHILDREN SEXUAL ABUSE?

"El Llibre d’en Pau. Guia per a l’abordatge del maltractament en la infància per als professionals de la salut" (Paul’s book. Guide for Health Professionals to adress the abuse of minors), edited in 1996 with the collaboration and support of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalonia Government), defines sexual abuse as follows: "Sexual abus is a situation where a child or a teenager participates in sexual activities that break the social and legal tabues of society, that he does not understand or for which he is not prepared according to his development, and therefore he cannot consent to.

The concept of sexual abuse implies always a situation of superiority either physical because the agressor is an adult or a person of older age – some authors quantify it in higher than five years- or psychical.

These include all those actions, more or less cronical, where a child is sexually used for the benefit of an adult that coerces him or subdues him under his authority or because the victim suffers some lack or discapacity in his mental development. "
  

1.3 HOW CAN WE GUARANTEE THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN?

We think that the defense of the children rights is a task which must involve the public institutions as well as the associations, professionals and society in general. We understand that once the legal frame is settled the key issue in the defense of children interests lies in daily actions by each and every person and institution related to the child.

As regards the legal frame the measures described at the Convention on Children Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the 20th of November 1989, ratified by the Spanish State on the 30th of November 1990 (BOE 313, 31st December 1990) must be taken into account.

Article 19.
    
1. The member states must take all necessary legislative, administrative, social and educational measures in order to protect the child against any form of physical or mental violence, injuries, abuses, abandonment or negligent treat, abuse or exploitation, including sexual abuse, wether physical or mental, while under the guardianship of his parents, legal tutors or any other person under whose guardianship he might be.
2. This protection measures should include, if necessary, efective procedures to establish social programs, with the goal of giving the child and whoever has his guardianship the necessary support, and also for other ways of preventing, detecting, reporting, addressing, investigating, giving therapy and monitoring the abuse cases described above, as well as any legal action should it be necessary.
 
In Catalonia two important laws have been passed recently:
 
1. Law for the care and protection of children and teenagers, 27th of July, 1995. Catalan scope (DOGC no.2083, 2nd of August).
2. Organic Law of Legal protection of the minor, 15th of January, 1996 (BOE no. 15, 17th of January). Spanish scope.
  
The reality of sexual abuse of minors in Spain:

In 1998 a Congress was held in Valencia for the prevention of sexual abuse of minors called "Rompiendo Silencios" (breaking silences). In the final conclusions the increase detected in the number of children sexual abuse was mentioned:

23% of girls and 15% of boys suffer sexual abuse in Spain before the age of 17.

All these children need to be listened to and attended. 60% of them do not receive this help.

In general wrong beliefs are shared (myths over childhood) which ease the way for not acknowledging such situations, tending to hide the problem and even to make the victim feel guilty.

Many cases are not denounced, despite the social and legal obligation to do so.

Following a revision of existing literature, it is observed that clinical professionals and researchers agree on the fact thet being a victim of sexual abuse during childhood and/or youth creates a very important risk of later damages for health, either on the short, middle or long run.

Professionals believe in a program of information and prevention on different levels: social, educational, sanitary, ...
  

2. THE FADA ASSOCIATION.

2.1 WHAT GENERAL AIMS DOES IT HAVE ?:
   

  

 Inform, address and advice on situations of sexual abuse to minors.
  

  

 Offer an integral service of attention in cases of children sexual abuse.
  
   Prevent sexual abuse of minors.
  
   Increase awareness among population of the scope of abuse
  
   Research on the situation of minors sexual abuse in Europe.
  
2.2 HUMAN TEAM OF THE PROGRAM
  
    The organization benefits from its own interdisciplinary work team formed by professionals: psycologists and lawyers specialized in the field of children sexual abuse.
    Additionally volunteer people interested and motivated by the issue of children sexual abuse also cooperate in the program.
 
 2.3 WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE CARRIED OUT BY FADA?:
  
    Direct attention service:

The service of direct attention provides information and orientation on the issue of minors sexual abuse, on a free base, to any person or organization who adresses FADA.

This service can be obtained by telephone or personally.

Enquiries are evaluated and individually addressed giving the most proper answer to each case.
  
    Specialized services:
  
Psycological Service: Therapy at an individual, couple and family level are offered in answer to those enquiries related to situations of minors sexual abuse. S’ofereix la possibilitat de participar en grups d’ajuda mutua per persones adultes que han patit abusos quan eren menors o en grups de suport per pares i mares de fills que han patit abusos.
  
Legal service: legal advice and support in situations of abuse which have already taken place, as well as in situations where actual evidence of potential abuse exists.
 

The aforementioned advice consists of the following phases:

a) Information to the victim of all the rights that assist him/her, including the possibility to exercice the private accusation and when necessary the right to request free legal assistence according to Law 1/1996 of January the 10th.

b) Specific actions before the criminal jurisdiction consisting of, among others, the drafting and presentation of claims or in the case of accusations over already happened events the legal assistance in the appearance before the police department or court in charge with the aim of denouncing the events, as well as the assistance in specific legal and police proceedings.

c) Representing the private accusation in the criminal cause.

Periodical monitoring:
  
    The association makes a semestral monitoring of the different cases that it has dealt with, in order to evaluate the effects of the developed actions.
  
    Permanent co-ordination and study among different professionals in FADA, maintaining a close co-ordination with the ressources of the European Comunity network.
  
Activities for prevention, awareness and research:

Comunications in different media are performed: press, radio and television.

Diffusion of the association’s services by release of information leaflets and through the internet.

Organization of talks, seminars and conferences.

Cursos especialitzats per la universitat, com crèdit de lliure elecció i com col.laboradors en un postgrau.

Col.laboració amb un estudi sobre relació entre abusos sexuals i psicopatologia, de la Universitat de Barcelona.

Elaboration of an itinerant exposition.

Constant research of experiences and bibliography on children sexual abuse.

Elaboration of innovative programs for the knowledge, prevention and treatment of minors sexual abuse. 

3. CONTACTS WITH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
  

   

 Due to the nature of our task we keep in professional contact with the following organizations:
  

PUBLIC:

Department of Social Welfare of the Catalan Government. (Departament de Benestar Social de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Direcció General d’Acció Cívica).

Justice Department of the Catalan Government (Departament de Justícia de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Direcció General d’Atenció a la Infància).

Social Services of the Province of Barcelona (Diputació de Barcelona. Serveis socials).

Barcelona Council: department for Civil Rights and Personal Services (Ajuntament de Barcelona: Regidoria de Drets Civils i Serveis Personals).

Centre for Victim Attention and Orientation Services. Department of Justice. Barcelona (Centre de Serveis d’Atenció i Orientació a la Víctima. Departament de Justícia. Barcelona).

Catalan Institute of the Woman. Catalan Government. (Institut Català de la Dona. Generalitat de Catalunya).

Children Attention Office. Catalan Government (Direcció General d’Atenció a la Infància. Generalitat de Catalunya).

Minor Delegate. Spanish Government..

Minor office at Catalan Ombudsman Office (Síndic de Greuges de Catalunya, Delegat del Menor).

Centre of Resources for Children and Family (CRIF). Barcelona Province. (Centre de Recursos per a la Infància i la Família (CRIF). Diputació de Barcelona).

Minors Group of the Spanish National Police.

PRIVATE:

Fundació Ma Francisca de Roviralta. Barcelona.

Fundació Jaume Bofill. Barcelona.

Fundació Victoria Noguerol. Madrid.

Asociación Murciana de Apoyo a la Infancia Maltratada (AMAIM). Múrcia.

Servicio de Atención al Abuso Sexual (SAAS). València.

Associació Catalana per la Infància Maltractada (ACIM). Barcelona.

Centre Jove d’Anticoncepció i Sexualitat. Barcelona.

UNICEF de Barcelona.

Prodeni. Asociación para los derechos del niño y de la niña. Málaga.

Ca la Dona. Barcelona.

Àrea d’Infància de Càritas de Barcelona.

Associació Les Albes per a la Investigació i el Suport a l’Atenció dels Infants Maltractats. Manresa.

Association Française d’Information et de Recherche sur l’Enfance Maltraitée (A.F.I.R.E.M). Paris.

We have applied in order to be accepted as a member of the Federation of Associations for the Prevention of Children Abuse (Federación de Asociaciones para la Prevención del Maltrato Infantil - FAPMI) based in Madrid.
And other organizations which we daily interact with for different reasons and for the mutual need to collaborate.

We receive technical advice of the following organizations:

Servei A l’Abast. Fundació Pere Tarrés in collaboration with INCAVOL (Department of Social Welfare, Catalan Government).

Club d’Usuaris de Suport, with the collaboration of INCAVOL

We are mentioned in the resources and services guides, public and private, that follow:

Catalan Institute of the Woman.

INCAVOL. Catalan Institute of Volunteers. Departement of Social Welfare. Catalan Government.

Volunteers for Barcelona.

BRAPS (Bank of Attention and Social Promotion Resources, no. 247). Barcelona Council.

CIRD (Centre of Resources for Women)

Information services of the Minor’s Telephone, 010 Information Telephone of Barcelona Council, 012 Information Telephone of the Catalan Government, the Hope Telephone.

FADA is a member of:

The Catalan Federation of Social Volunteership.

Censed with number 1008 as a Volunteer Organization of the Department of Social Welfare of the Catalan Government.

 
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