Incurably sluggish state abets child abusers
There is currently a great deal of discussion in Greece’s public discourse over the delays in the dispensation of justice, and quite rightly so. However, it is not the first time, which shows that all the previous times that this specific problem was highlighted, the steps required to solve it were not implemented.
The delays and the lack of will to solve the problems and to remove the obstacles in the way for a transparent, socially beneficial and citizen-friendly functioning of the state is, unfortunately, a general characteristic of every type and form of authority in the country. Recent developments have showcased the – often painful – distortions and deficiencies of the current legislative authority. On Wednesday in Parliament, a special joint meeting of three parliamentary committees is scheduled, focused on presenting the government’s National Action Plan to protect minors from sexual abuse and exploitation. On October 23, Tania Georgiopoulou’s illuminating article in Kathimerini noted, among other things, that the National Plan had, in a general sense, been presented to the cabinet at the end of the summer.
The political system and the whole of society ‘knew’ that there were such incidents, but no one spoke about them openly until now
Undoubtedly, it is a positive fact that the highest level of the government was involved with this issue before the horrific case of the 12-year-old girl in Kolonos. The political system and the whole of society “knew” that there were such incidents, but no one spoke about them openly until now, and for many years nobody had deemed that there should be coordinated and efficient action toward confronting this nightmare.
Undoubtedly, it is also a negative fact that there exist such delays even now (“presentations” at the end of the summer / beginning of winter, and more than a few important loose ends on the necessary policies front, due to a lack of funding). Even more negative is the fact that the political system that has the responsibility of legislating essential interventions – primarily and immediately to ease the suffering of abused minors, but also for the broader shielding of Greek society from those who carry out the abuse, or allow it to happen – more or less refuses to show any sensitivity and reflexes. At its worst, it is the same system that rushed to provocatively display one of its ugliest sides, that of the vulgar political exploitation of a tremendously serious social problem in order to gain political points by attacking the opposing political party.
