Table for the victims: parliamentarians ask that Rabat not lead the initiative and the minister begins contacts to form it

Table for victims: parliamentarians ask that Rabat not lead the initiative and the minister begins contact to form it Although the ruling party valued La Moneda's initiative to steer the crisis, they point out that the Minister of Justice cannot be the one to lead the initiative, which is shared by the opposition. This is not only because of his political responsibility in the controversy but also because the left has already declared that he is not a valid interlocutor. Since yesterday, the Minister of Justice, Fernando Rabat, has been making contact with the heads of different benches of Congress to begin coordinating the formation of the table for victims, announced yesterday by the Secretary of State amid the crisis due to the reduction of sentences for people sentenced for sexual offenses against minors. The initiative, which will be led by Rabat, aims to begin closing the controversy and install the government as one of the protagonists in resolving it. This is in a context where the Executive has not managed to regain control of the agenda. For this reason, Rabat—who has already held contact with the heads of the benches of RN, UDI, the Republican Party, and some opposition leaders—asked the parliamentarians to send names that can be included in the initiative. Those who were aware of these exchanges also explained to him that they expect to add experts, especially to guide the legislative debate. The truth is that just one day after the announcement, both the ruling party and the opposition have already begun to raise the first objections. For the deputy head of the RN bench, deputy Eduardo Durán, "this table must be headed by another minister." "If we want to put the victims first, we must offer them an initiative that gives them confidence, and that is difficult when the one leading it is involved in the decisions that originated this crisis. Justice must participate and provide all the background information, but leadership should be entrusted to another authority," he explained. In this line, the deputy from the bench, Claudia Mora, assured that "the opposition has publicly notified us that, for them, Minister Rabat is no longer a valid interlocutor. Therefore, for the working table for victims to have the desired effect, it should be headed by another person, and in that sense, Undersecretary Pablo Mira is the most viable option. Furthermore, it was Minister Rabat himself who pointed out that the Undersecretary of Human Rights had held more than 17 meetings on the matter, so in some way, he empowered him in this task." The deputy from the Republican Party, Paz Charpentier, criticized that stance. "Parliamentarians are free to prioritize or not the victims. I believe the victims come first, not parliamentarians eager for attention or cameras," she assured. The PDG also distanced themselves from Rabat leading the initiative. "It is unacceptable that Minister Rabat, whose political responsibility is still being questioned, seeks to head a table to defend precisely those affected by this crisis. Does the Government really believe that the victims need another table headed by a questioned minister? It seems that the priority is not to repair the damage, but to politically save Minister Rabat," said Tamara Ramírez, the deputy head of the collective. In the opposition, likewise, there have been withdrawals. Although some recognize that it can be a good mechanism to approach the victims, they agree that it cannot be Rabat who leads the table. This is especially considering that in the sector accused that the Minister of Justice is no longer a valid interlocutor to steer the crisis. Nevertheless, according to what La Tercera found out, in the last hours the Secretary of State made contact with some opposition parliamentarians to address the ministry's initiative. Among them was the deputy from the PPD, Carlos Cuadrado. Regarding this, the head of the PPD bench, Andrea Parra, assured that "it is the opposition that has been very clear in saying that Minister Rabat is not a valid interlocutor, much less when the solution proposed is a patch that does not address the underlying issues (...). We will not be supporting a political solution that only seeks to relieve Minister Rabat of responsibility." "I think it is very good that the government is carrying out a table, but I do not think it is good that Minister Rabat leads it. We hear it a lot in the session here and he does not recognize what he has done, but also the government did not deliver the budget for the creation of the victims' attention office for crimes (...). It seems that the government is saying things on one hand, but doing others underneath," said the deputy from the Frente Amplio (FA), Jorge Brito, in an interview with From La Tercera's Editorial. Amid these criticisms, this Tuesday, in the ministry led by Rabat, work with the victims has already begun and an intersectoral table has been formed to generate proposals and actions that improve the protection and support for victims of sexual offenses cases. In the first meeting, along with Minister Rabat and other government authorities, some civil society organizations such as UNICEF, the Center for Justice and Society UC, the Amparo y Justicia Foundation, the Foundation for Trust, the Citizens' Peace Foundation, among others, participated. COMMENTS To comment on this article you must be a subscriber. The Latest Most read 1. 3. 4. 5. Some read, others inform. Take advantage of this unique offer. Digital Plan +$4,990 per month, from here until February SUBSCRIBE