An independent committee investigating sexual crimes against children in the Catholic Church revealed on Saturday that more than 200,000 people in Spain have been subjected to sexual abuse since 1970. This is not an exact figure, but rather an estimate based on surveys involving over eight thousand people. These numbers come after more than a year since the Spanish parliament established a committee to examine sexual crimes against children by clergy.

Unlike France, Germany, Ireland, and the United States, Spain, a country with strong Catholic traditions, has not yet conducted an independent investigation into this scourge.

Therefore, Spanish lawmakers established an expert committee in March 2022, responsible for "shedding light" on the "depraved personal acts committed against defenseless children" within the Spanish church.

The report noted that 0.6 percent of adults in Spain, whose total population is estimated at 39 million, confirmed they had been subjected to sexual abuse when they were minors by Christian clergy.

Additionally, 0.53 percent of those surveyed reported they experienced sexual abuse as minors committed by ordinary individuals working in religious institutions.

These estimates were presented in a report by Ombudsman Ángel Gabilondo to the Spanish Congress, at the conclusion of the workings of an independent committee, the first of its kind in Spain, to assess the prevalence of crimes against children within the Catholic Church.

The report also criticized the stance of the Catholic Church, considering its response to cases of child abuse within it to be "insufficient."

Among other recommendations, the report proposes that the state establish a fund to provide compensation to victims.

Gabilondo also stated in a press conference that the issues mainly pertain to the period from "1970 to the present day."

The committee relied on experts in law and victim assistance, as well as testimonies from the victims themselves to carry out its work.

Before the report's release, the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church announced that it would hold an extraordinary general assembly next Monday to discuss the report with the bishops.

For years, the Church has refused to conduct any in-depth investigations and has been reluctant to participate in the committee's work; however, it agreed in March to provide information about cases of child abuse collected by the parishes.

Faced with increasing political pressure and accusations of obstruction, the Church took a first step in February 2022 by launching its own external audit, which it entrusted to the law firm Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo.

Also, despite the Episcopal Conference's request a few weeks ago for the law office to publish its report within ten days, the results of this audit are not expected to be published until the end of the year, following the release of a summary in November.

In its defense, the Church announced that it has put protocols in place to deal with sexual violence and has established offices for "child protection" within the parishes.

In June, it admitted that it had collected testimonies from 927 victims.

This number is very low compared to a survey conducted by the Spanish daily "El País," which established a database in 2018 mentioning the existence of 2,206 victims. The earliest cases date back to 1927.

The Madrid-based newspaper also reported the existence of 1,036 religious figures accused of sexually abusing minors.

"According to experts, this is just the tip of the iceberg," the newspaper "El País" wrote on Friday. The report published on Friday confirms this statement.

For comparison, an independent committee reported 216,000 child victims since 1950 in France. In Germany, a study indicated 3,677 cases between 1946 and 2014. In Ireland, more than 14,500 individuals have received financial compensation through a mechanism set up by the government.