25 suspects arrested over child sexual abuse in Cape Verde
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Expresso das Ilhas
Operation Aurora led to the arrest of 25 suspects in Cape Verde over alleged exploitation and sexual abuse of minors; 18 were placed in pre-trial detention. The alleged offences have taken place since 2023 on Sal island and in Safende, Praia, according to the Judicial Police, cited by Inforpress.
Cape Verde's Judicial Police arrested 25 suspects as part of Operation Aurora, concerning alleged sexual abuse and exploitation of minors. Eighteen were placed in pre-trial detention and the others subjected to other restrictive measures, according to the Judicial Police, cited by Expresso das Ilhas.
The suspects are being investigated for child prostitution, procuring, abuse and sexual assault of children, some of them under the age of 14. The alleged offences are said to have taken place since 2023 on the island of Sal and in Safende, a neighbourhood of Praia.
Testimonies collected by the Inforpress news agency notably refer to violence suffered during childhood in family environments. One woman said the abuse began when she was six. A mother also reported that her 10-year-old daughter fled after a shopkeeper allegedly tried to touch her. These accounts illustrate the situations at the centre of the Operation Aurora investigation.
