Cavalcante records highest rate of sexual violence against minors in Goiás

The municipality of Cavalcante, in the state of Goiás, has recorded the highest rate of sexual violence against minors under 14 in the region. According to data from the Justiça Plena Program of the Court of Justice of Goiás (TJGO), Cavalcante reports 3.7 cases of rape of vulnerable persons per 1,000 inhabitants, significantly higher than the 0.43 average in Goiânia.

Reports indicate that many of these crimes are linked to a practice known as ‘false sponsorship.’ In this scheme, families with higher financial status take in Kalunga girls, aged 12 to 14, under the guise of providing housing and education. Once in these homes, the girls are often subjected to domestic labor exploitation and sexual violence by their providers.

Since 2015, the Justiça Plena Program has noted 30 instances where investigations into sexual abuse against Kalunga children were improperly interrupted. In response to legal challenges, the Public Ministry of Goiás filed 150 appeals in 2024 and 2025 against TJGO decisions that reduced sentences or acquitted defendants. A recent legal development, Law 15.353, establishes an absolute presumption of vulnerability for minors under 14 to prevent defense arguments based on consent.