Members of the Support Unit of the Ombudsman’s Office will travel to the areas of residence of individuals who wish to offer their testimony regarding sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. In November, the unit will travel to Barcelona (3-9 November), Seville (17-18 November) and Vigo (28-29-30 November), after previously visiting Pamplona, Zaragoza and Toledo. The visits are carried out when there is a significant number of requests from victims in a particular city or province.
Victims wishing to be interviewed in person in these cities – or in any other city – should contact the unit on the free telephone number +34 900 111 025 or by email (atencionvictimas@defensordelpueblo.es). They can also contact the unit by post (Defensor del Pueblo, Calle Zurbano, 42, 28010).
According to the Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, “we believe it is appropriate to facilitate contact for those who wish to give their testimony in person and do not have the means to travel to Madrid. Therefore, members of the unit will travel, when circumstances allow, to other parts of Spain after requests are received from victims who do not live locally.”
Ángel Gabilondo has reiterated that, “what really matters and concerns us, more than the number of testimonies, is to be able to listen to victims and to do so with respect, seriousness, discretion and confidentiality.”
From the more than 400 communications received so far, 253 files have been opened on victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and 149 face-to-face interviews have taken place since the launch of the Support Unit on 7 July. Eighty percent of the victims are men.
Furthermore, the Advisory Commission (chaired by the Ombudsman) met today and, among other things, endorsed the travel plans for the Support Unit and analysed the evolution of the work being done.
As Ángel Gabilondo announced in Congress on 20 June, the main objectives of the Advisory Commission include “determining facts and responsibilities, proposing procedures for compensating victims and promoting prevention measures and protocols for action to prevent this from happening again.”
The data collected will provide the basis for a report on allegations of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, which is to be submitted to the Congress of Deputies, following a mandate from the Lower House.
