The urban camp at Legazpi school in Arroyomolinos recorded minimal attendance yesterday after two reports of alleged sexual assaults on girls aged between three and seven years became known. Parents demand answers and the managing company denies concealment.
The alarm was raised last weekend when several families in Arroyomolinos learned that the Civil Guard is investigating at least two reports of alleged sexual assaults on girls aged between three and seven years at the urban camp of the public school Legazpi. The immediate consequence was that yesterday morning the camp was half-empty, with many parents choosing not to send their children to the activity organised by the Southwest Consortium.
Early in the morning, nearly fifty people gathered at the centre's gates to demand explanations from those responsible for the camp and to request information about the management of the incidents being investigated by the Judicial Police. According to several parents, the outrage is not only focused on the alleged assaults but also on the feeling that families were not promptly informed of a situation of extreme seriousness.
"Today many parents have come to demand answers and we have received none," explains the father of one of the girls who reported the incidents to this newspaper. According to this parent, several camp officials defended that they had acted correctly from the very beginning, but the father claims he directly reproached some of them for the alleged lack of communication to the affected families.
The company and the Consortium defend their actions
While parents demand accountability, the managing company of the camp issued a statement categorically rejecting any accusations of concealing information. They added that "as soon as they became aware of the events, they initiated all the necessary actions, collaborating with the competent authorities." The company also asserts that the accused monitor "worked at this camp for only four days" and that "since July 9, he has not been part of the staff."
The company's stance partially coincides with the statement released on Monday by the Southwest Services Consortium of Madrid. The entity stated that currently "there is no risk situation for users" and maintained that appropriate measures were taken as soon as they became aware of the events.
The parents' version: lack of communication and chilling details
The official version clashes sharply with that of several parents of the reporting minors. The allegations refer to events that allegedly occurred last Thursday, July 9. According to testimonies gathered by the families, two monitors detected a situation that made them suspect a possible sexual assault and immediately reported what happened to the camp's management. Specifically, the two workers found two naked girls next to a monitor and reported it to the management, which did not inform the parents. It was only last Friday that some monitors, on their own initiative, decided to inform the parents of the minors about the incidents.
Despite their young age, the girls reportedly recounted some details of the alleged assaults over the weekend. According to the testimonies collected, one of them stated that the monitor had his trousers down during the alleged assaults.
"It hurt us", the minor reportedly explained, adding that she tried to push him away. The parents maintain that they were not informed of what happened until several days later and question whether all the appropriate protocols were activated from the very beginning.
The families have provided new documentation to the Civil Guard and are now waiting for the investigation to determine both the possible criminal responsibility of the accused monitor and whether the subsequent actions of the camp's officials were appropriate. The Civil Guard has taken statements from the girls and the monitors and has also summoned the accused monitor.
For the residents of Arroyomolinos and the municipalities in the southwest of the Community of Madrid, this case raises questions about safety in summer camps. The Southwest Consortium, which manages such activities in several municipalities, will have to provide explanations in the coming days. Meanwhile, the affected families are demanding that the facts be clarified and that measures be taken to prevent something like this from happening again.
