Breathe
By Yohali Reséndiz
When victims of sexual assault face justice, what lies behind is a long, difficult and painful road. That is why it is essential to write about the achievements that, with courage and firmness, victims wrest from the system, exposing the corrupt authorities that protect sexual aggressors.
It is also necessary to highlight the few judges who, with a gender perspective and respecting the best interests of the child, issue precedent-setting rulings.
And, of course, we must speak of the brave mothers and victims who, despite the pain of knowing that the man they loved and respected as a father is now the monster to be defeated, continue to fight. Even without strength, with depression and physical pain, they do not stop raising their voices.
Last week, in Jalisco, the eighth control judge, Javier García Muñoz, convicted Jorge Alberto "V" of aggravated child sexual abuse and corruption of minors.
The hearing on Thursday, November 14 represented for the victims everything and nothing at the same time. Entering the Federal Center for Social Readaptation (CEFERESO) in Puente Grande, Jalisco, reminded them of something key: the perpetrator was in the place he deserved, condemned for his actions against his two biological daughters and a stepdaughter, all minors.
Jorge Alberto "V", originally from Toluca, resident for more than 35 years in Oaxaca, was arrested two years ago and detained in Puente Grande. He abused his daughters in different states: Mexico City, Oaxaca and Jalisco, where they filed complaints with local prosecutors.
Of these entities, only Jalisco has issued a sentence. In Oaxaca, the victims face corruption, political influence and a lack of gender perspective on the part of the Public Prosecutor's Office, while in Mexico City the case is advancing slowly.
The aggressor's defense tried to distort the facts and the expert reports, but the evidence and testimonies were stronger. The three minors recounted how they were abused by their father, while the expert reports confirmed the physical and psychological damage they suffered.
During this grueling process, the victims' mother, Claudia Casas, denounced the obstruction of justice in Oaxaca, finding little echo in the media. However, corrupt officials remain undeterred.
It is essential to make visible that mothers and victims who denounce crimes of this magnitude face lawyers who bleed them financially without defending them, threats from aggressors and accomplices, and even dismissals from their jobs that leave them unprotected.
In schools, the environment is often insensitive, discriminating against victims to the point of forcing them to drop out of school.
This column is a balm for those who hear sentences that, although they do not erase the after-effects for life, make the heartbeat different:
"Jorge Alberto 'V', for the crimes of aggravated child sexual abuse against three minors, you are sentenced to 44 years in prison, 5 months and 10 days."
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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