"It is not a secret, it is a crime": Canarias launches a campaign against sexual violence towards minors

The Directorate General for the Protection of Children and Families, dependent on the Ministry of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families of the Government of the Canary Islands, has launched an institutional campaign aimed at preventing violence against children and adolescents. Under the slogan It is not a secret, it is a crime, the Canary Executive assures that it wants to combat "one of the main barriers to its detection: silence".

Through several audiovisual pieces, the campaign conveys a direct message to boys, girls, and adolescents: "No behavior of an adult that makes you feel bad, uncomfortable, or scared should be kept as a secret," the Ministry has defended. Asking for help, talking, and telling what is happening is the first step to activate protection.

Violence in everyday environments

The campaign redirects to the telephone and chat of the Anar Foundation at 116 111 and chatanar.es. The work of the Anar Foundation is to provide boys, girls, and adolescents with a safe and confidential space where they feel heard and respected, and where they can freely express what is happening to them to find joint solutions to their problems.

The need for this campaign is linked to a reality that requires reinforcing prevention and awareness. Data on the attention given to child victims of sexual violence in the Canary Islands show that 53% of the sexual assaults attended in 2024 and 2025 were committed by people from their own family environment, which shows that many situations of violence can occur in spaces of trust and closeness. Of the more than 242,000 requests for help received by the Anar Foundation last year, 4,144 came from the Canary Islands.

Precisely because of this, the campaign focuses on "breaking the culture of silence" and reminding that "the protection of children requires an active attitude on the part of adults." Violence against boys, girls, and adolescents does not always appear in distant or unknown contexts; in many cases, it occurs in everyday environments, where listening, detecting signs, and acting can make a difference.

With the slogan It is not a secret, it is a crime, the Government of the Canary Islands wants to send a clear message of zero tolerance against any form of child violence. The initiative seeks to eliminate ideas that favor concealment, such as minimizing certain behaviors, thinking they are "childish things" or avoiding intervention in case of suspicion.

The campaign does not only address victims, but society as a whole: families, professionals, educational, sports, and community environments. Because protecting children does not only consist of having care resources, but also of generating an adult network capable of listening, believing, and responding.

The Director General of Protection of Children and Families, Sandra Rodríguez, points out that "a boy or a girl should never carry a secret that hurts them. The responsibility lies with adults: to observe, accompany, and act."

The campaign opts for direct, ethical, and responsible language, avoiding explicit recreation of violent situations and using clear messages to facilitate the identification of warning signs. The pieces will be disseminated on social networks, digital media, and other platforms with the aim of expanding the reach of the message and facilitating access to available help resources.

This action is part of the commitment of the Government of the Canary Islands to the prevention, early detection, and comprehensive protection of children and adolescents against any form of violence.