PS and PSD were the only parties in the room and it was, therefore, unanimously by those present that the Commission on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees approved the constitution of the working group on sexual abuse against children proposed by all parties with the exception of Enough. Chega’s proposal ended up not being discussed because this group was already created.
“This request is an indication of the strong consensus among the parliamentary groups that the report of the independent commission has consequences and impact”, argued the socialist deputy Cláudia Santos. “We intend that the debate started is not in vain and that there is better protection of children in the future”, she added.
The working group intends to fulfill three objectives: carry out all the hearings on sexual abuse already approved in the commission’s plenary session – ranging from the commission to the Minister of Justice, passing through the Catholic Church and victims’ support entities -, carry out a study on the alterations necessary legislative measures (including an analysis of comparative law) in the area of combating sexual crimes against minors, and assume the legislative work of all the diplomas already approved on this subject or that will be approved in the coming months.
Last week there had been a kind of “race”: the seven parties (PS, PSD, IL, PCP, BE, PAN and Livre) got together and left Chega on the sidelines to present the proposal for the constitution of a working group , as the deputy and leader of Chega had already said a week before that his bench would propose. It was Livre who submitted the proposal to the commission, anticipating Chega.
And it was this place on the starting line that allowed the request of the seven parties to be discussed in the first place this Wednesday, making it no longer necessary to discuss that of Chega.