Axarquía teenager suffers three-year sexual, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents

Child abuse

The father carried out the sexual abuse, while the mother hit and degraded the girl, until the events came to light following a school complaint

Irene Quirante

The provincial court of Malaga has sentenced a couple from Vélez-Málaga for continuous sexual, physical and emotional abuse on their daughter. The events lasted between 2020 and 2023, starting when the girl was only 13 years old.

The court has convicted the father of sexual assault and the mother of physical and psychological abuse. According to the ruling, the first incident happened in November 2020.

The victim would often go to her parents' bedroom at night because she feared the dark. Taking advantage of the mother's night shift (she cared for a sick person outside the home) and under the false pretence of giving her a massage, the man began to touch his daughter while she was sleeping.

During one of these incidents, the victim confronted him about his behaviour, but the father claimed he had been "asleep and hadn't noticed".

The same happened again months later, in February 2021, leading the teenager to finally run away from the room.

The mother learnt of these events immediately. The girl called her crying from her father's cell phone to tell her what had happened, which led to marital arguments. The mother and the child temporarily moved to a hotel.

On the other hand, the ruling vividly recounts how the woman routinely assaulted her daughter using any object she could find: a belt, a phone charger cable, a rolling pin or a broom handle.

In addition to the physical blows, there was a constant stream of verbal abuse intended to destroy the girl's self-esteem. The mother would use expressions like "you're stupid", "you're useless", "you're good for nothing".

The defendant's aggression escalated in December 2022 over school grades, when she slapped and scratched her daughter while yelling at her: "You can't touch me because I'm your mother. I can hit you and do whatever I want to you."

The last violent episode occurred in March 2023. Upon discovering the contents of the girl's mobile phone, the mother started a heated argument with homophobic undertones in which she called her "dyke" and "abnormal", giving her a beating that caused bleeding injuries to the girl's lip.

School alert

The girl's body and mind reached their breaking point that same month, when she broke down in inconsolable tears in front of the school counsellor.

The teenager shared what had been happening to her and the counsellor immediately activated child protection protocols.

A few days later, the Andalusian regional government formally declared the girl to be in a situation of neglect, removing her from her parents' custody.

During the trial, the defence attempted to discredit the victim's testimony by alleging a "spurious motive" and teenage rebellion. However, the court flatly rejected this argument as "irrational".

The magistrate judges highlighted the absolute credibility and coherence of the girl's testimony, solidly supported by corroborating evidence. This includes, among other things, forensic reports that confirmed the psychological trauma consistent with ongoing abuse; medical reports; the child protection file; and statements from family and school support teams.

In addition to the prison sentences, the court has issued restraining orders. Neither parent may approach within 500 metres of their daughter or communicate with her by any means for a period of six years in the case of the father and four years in the case of the mother.

The court has also barred the father from working in any profession involving contact with minors for ten years. As for civil liability, the father must compensate the victim with 3,000 euros for moral damages, while the mother must pay 10,150 euros for physical and psychological harm.

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