Police investigate eight gang rapes involving minors in Badalona in past year
Perpetrators include an 18-year-old and 20 minors, of which 13 are under age of criminal responsibility
Mossos d'Esquadra police have opened investigations into a total of eight gang rapes involving minors in Badalona, a coastal city directly north of the Catalan capital, since last July.
Of these, three have taken place at the Màgic shopping mall.
The perpetrators include an 18-year-old and 20 minors, of which 13 are under the age of criminal responsibility. Four of the underage aggressors are involved in more than one gang rape.
Although the first incident that is under investigation occurred 11 months ago, the first case that was made public - the gang rape of an 11-year-old at Màgic - took place last November.
The police held a meeting to address these cases in Granollers on Thursday, with spokesperson Montserrat Escudé explaining in a press conference that all of the victims are girls under the age of 18.
Police have not ruled out the existence of additional cases as victims do not always file reports or can take time to do so.
Escudé explained that all of these cases have been resolved, although some remain open as police continue to determine the degree of involvement of the perpetrators.
Preventive measures
According to Escudé, a "community-wide approach" is needed to prevent further cases.
"What's behind these cases has to do with values, with respect, with not having any kind of sexual education, with life goals," she said.
As for the shopping center where three of the gang rapes took place, officers now patrol the premises more frequently and have increased communication with private security services.
There have been no further incidents at Màgic since these measures were implemented.
Police in Badalona have also held talks in schools, speaking to almost 1,400 12- to 18-year-olds.