A court has sentenced a teacher in Lanzarote to 12 years in prison for sexually abusing a student when she was between 9 and 12 years old. The victim, now 20, reported the events in 2022 after learning of the acquittal of another accused.
The victim, who is now 20 years old, has seen justice validate her testimony after a long process that began when she decided to report the events that occurred between the ages of 9 and 12. The ruling, which can still be appealed, marks a turning point in a case that has shocked the island.
A Process of Acceptance and Courage
The young woman explained that the first moment of awareness came when she left school. “Talking with other classmates was the first moment when I said: what they did was not right,” she recalls. However, understanding the seriousness of what she experienced was a gradual process. “At 12 years old, thinking about sexual abuse didn’t cross my mind. It was a bit later when the next blow came: this is not just that it was wrong, it is sexual abuse and it is reportable,” she adds.
The hardest part, she recounts, was accepting that the person she idolised was taking advantage of her. “How do you tell your mind that the person you thought cared about you was actually abusing you? It has been very difficult because I was very young,” she confesses. The support of her mother and therapy were key to facing the process.
The Impetus of a Previous Acquittal
The decision to report came after learning of the acquittal of another teacher from the same island in a similar case in 2022. “When the news came out that he had been acquitted, it was a huge disappointment. I had no doubt that it could have happened. Seeing the acquittal makes you stop feeling hope, but it pushed me to say: there are many of us, someone has to listen to us,” she asserts.
This determination led her to take the step, and now the ruling has restored her confidence. “I feel that the story I have lived is validated before the law, but also before all those people who did not believe that the abuse was real, who minimised it or looked the other way,” she states. The young woman feels fortunate because she knows that not all victims achieve this recognition.
A Case That Highlights Abuse in Educational Settings
The case has highlighted the need to protect minors in the school environment. The victim emphasises the importance of speaking out and not staying silent, even though the process is tough. “It involved talking about all of this, facing having to go to a police station, speaking with police officers, and in the future, in a trial… It is a very uncomfortable and very hard process, but at the same time, for me, it has been a very necessary thing that has helped me a lot,” she points out.
Now, with the conviction, the young woman hopes her testimony will encourage other victims to feel supported. “I hope this ruling encourages more people to report, because justice can be achieved,” she concludes.
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