According to the national coroner’s office, there were 4,118 reported cases of sexual abuse in Colombia’s capital city of Bogota in 2012, 3,357 of which were against girls or women.
Bogota’s government secretary, Edgar Ardila Amaya, said that what concerns authorities most is that two thirds of the cases occurred at home.
“This poses a serious problem for authorities as it makes it very difficult to prosecute offenders and, more importantly, to prevent the abuse from reocurring,” said Ardila.
Women and girls make up 90% of the victims, 35% of which were reportedly betweeen the ages of 10 to 14.
Ardila emphasized that this presents a challenge for the new government department for women. According to the official, the department will need to strengthen the safe houses that provide protection from abuse and administer physical and psychological support, as well as social and legal assistance for victims.