The US Embassy and Consulate in Spain and Andorra on Monday activated a security alert to the " steady increase in the number of sexual assaults nationwide in the last five years including an increase in sexual assaults against young Americans and students throughout Spain ".

In the alert that was activated this Monday, the embassy makes special relevance to the difficulties that Americans who are victims of sexual assault can find in the Spanish Justice, "which differs significantly from the US system."

The note urges "American students and tourists to take precautions against sexual assault during their stay in Spain."

To this end, the US Embassy in Spain points out several indications that all young Americans traveling to Spain must take and be clear about the risk of sexual assault. The first is to drink "responsibly . " The Embassy points out that they do not consume "drinks that have been out of their control".

In addition, they recommend that they do not travel alone and that they always do so with "a friend or with a family member". Thirdly, they ask that if they suffer a sexual assault call "112 immediately" and, in addition, consider " contacting a Spanish lawyer to help you move through the Spanish judicial system and protect your rights."

The case of the three sisters of Murcia

The alert activated by the US Embassy in Spain comes shortly after three American sisters denounced an alleged multiple sexual assault in Murcia during last New Year's Eve. Three young Afghans were arrested and released before the "gaps and contradictions" in the young woman's story.

The National Police discovered during the investigation that the three sisters, 18, 20 and 23, had contracted an insurance policy for which they would be compensated with about 50,000 euros in case of suffering a sexual assault. The Minister's own minister adviser, Benjamin G. Ziff , has denied in an interview on ABC that such insurance existed and has indicated that the three sisters "have been revictimized . "

In 2018, an American student based in Madrid reported having been beaten and raped by a man in the Aluche exchanger. The young woman related on her Facebook wall the horror that happened when after going out with a friend and returning to her house she made a mistake in the bus and ended up in an unknown area where a man approached her offering her help and ended up becoming her predator. "He hit me in the face again and again until I couldn't fight anymore . I couldn't scream anymore . I could barely see through the blood in my eyes," he detailed in his story. The American student then opened a crowfounding campaign to raise money for victims of sexual assault.

It is not the first time that the US Government has set its sights on sexual assaults in Spain. In 2019, the US Embassy has already launched a security alert indicating that a tourist guide from Seville accused of sexually assaulting numerous American students was being investigated .

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  • Sexual aggressions
  • U.S
  • Spain