Government launches campaign against sexual exploitation of girls

The Balearic ministry of social affairs says this campaign is designed to inform teenagers of the risks they run and to empower them to report and say no. The campaign also seeks to reach families and the general population to make them aware of a problem that exists across Spain.

The ministry says girls are, in the vast majority of cases, approached with the promise of gift-giving in exchange, for example, for a caress or being touched. These may at first seem harmless gestures, but they can be the preamble to serious situations of sexual exploitation. Girls are to therefore be warned about this approach in order to directly attack the strategy that many exploiters use.

The campaign also seeks to remove the idea that the selection of victims of sexual exploitation only occurs in vulnerable situations. Examples are given of how it can occur in normal situations.

Communication for the campaign will be through the media and social networks, especially on TikTok. There will be posters in schools, health centres and leisure facilities, among other places.

There are to be workshops, with some 900 planned for the current school year, a further 900 during the 2022-2023 school year and 500 over the following year. Specific training is to be given to people working in education, health, social services and leisure. This will include instruction in the abuse protocol, the identification of indicators and general guidelines for managing situations.