Honduras: One-year-old girl dies after being abused in state custody

A 12-month-old girl died in the custody of the Directorate for Children, Adolescents and Families (Dinaf) in San Pedro Chula, Honduras’ second largest city, after allegedly being abused.

Lizeth Coello, director of the company, said that an investigation is being conducted.

The mother told reporters that her daughter was taken to Dinaf detention three months ago due to severe malnutrition.

#DigitalRealities A mother of a child who died of sexual abuse mentions #Dinaf Diagnosed with malnutrition, the girl was detained from the age of three months. The doctor who treated her daughter confirmed the abuse.
#FIA pic.twitter.com/KNIgoh8z5t

– TV Azteca Honduras (@aztecahonduras) July 22, 2023

Apparently, the girl was transferred to the Mario Caterino Rivas Hospital in San Pedro Sula on Friday, where doctors noticed some signs of abuse, and she died hours later, relatives said, demanding justice to prevent any other child from being raped.

Dinaf’s director confirmed that the agency has launched an investigation into the incident and the minor has been in state custody for three months.

“All the details of what happened in the foster home and the reasons why the minor was admitted to the care center are compiled,” Coelho stressed, as Diario published in 2001.

He informed that a Dinaf team has been appointed to carry out proper investigations to clarify what happened in the house, adding that the girl was admitted to the hospital due to pneumonia problem.

In this regard, Defense Minister Gustavo Sánchez said he ordered an investigation into what happened after deeming it “unacceptable”.

#DigitalRealities The Minister of Defense, Gustavo Sánchez, reports that he has ordered an investigation into the case of the minor who died in his arms. #Dinaf And liabilities will be deducted because, “That’s unacceptable in this administration.”#FIA #TvAztecaHonduras pic.twitter.com/RasznapKH7

– TV Azteca Honduras (@aztecahonduras) July 22, 2023

Between 2021 and 2022, Honduras recorded about 3,112 complaints of sexual abuse of minors between the ages of 8 and 15, most of which were not prosecuted, according to official statistics.

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