Spain and Argentina judicial rulings involve sexual abuse, child abandonment, and juvenile law

In Spain, the Supreme Court upheld an 18-year prison sentence for a man convicted of the continuous sexual abuse of two girls in the Canary Islands in 2017. The court rejected appeals regarding the validity of the victims' testimonies and the request for mitigating circumstances.

In a separate case in Málaga, a court sentenced a couple to seven years in prison each for the attempted homicide of their newborn baby. The infant was abandoned in an open area near a train station in the early hours of October 2023. The court found that the parents acted with awareness of the potential fatal risks to the child.

In Argentina, the Court of Appeals in Rosario ratified the new Juvenile Penal Regime, which establishes the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 14 years. The court rejected challenges claiming the law was unconstitutional, despite arguments from defense lawyers that the change violates international standards and reduces protections for adolescents.