Italian mother denounces irregularities in child abuse case in Mexico

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — An Italian mother residing in Playa del Carmen has publicly denounced alleged irregularities by the Quintana Roo State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) in the investigation of a sexual abuse case involving her son.

Giorgia del Rosso, through social media, has appealed for citizen support and government intervention, specifically addressing Governor Mara Lezama, to review what she claims are procedural failures that have benefited the alleged perpetrator—the biological father of the victim.

The case involves a criminal file for the crime of rape against her son, who was 3 years old at the time of the alleged abuse. The child is now 4 years old. Del Rosso stated that when her son was 3 and a half years old, he was a victim of sexual abuse by his father.

The mother filed the corresponding complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office but asserts that the judicial process has suffered irreparable failures. Specifically, she reports that the judge did not order the father to stand trial, resulting in his release.

Del Rosso claims that necessary measures were not taken to protect her son or to advance the investigation with the rigor required for a crime of this magnitude.

Local civil organizations, such as Defensa de los Derechos de los Niños en Quintana Roo (DDNQR), report that in at least 22% of such cases, complaints do not progress in the judicial process due to investigative failures or questionable judicial decisions.

According to data from the state Prosecutor’s Office itself, so far in 2025, more than 800 cases of crimes against the sexual integrity of minors have been registered in the state. Of these, at least 15% correspond to cases where the alleged perpetrator was a close family member (father, mother, uncle, or caregiver), a profile that matches the Del Rosso case.

Support from Civil Groups

The case of Giorgia del Rosso is not isolated. It reflects a gap in the protection of minor victims of sexual abuse in Quintana Roo, especially when the perpetrator is a family member.

The collective Defensa de los Derechos de los Niños en Quintana Roo (DDNQR), which focuses exclusively on assisting minor victims of sexual abuse, neglect, or family violence, stated that the mother seeks for her voice to be heard, for the actions of the prosecutor’s office and the judge to be reviewed, and for her son to receive the justice he deserves.

This collective offers free support including legal advice for following judicial processes, psychological attention for the victim and their family nucleus, and accompaniment during hearings or procedures with the prosecutor’s office. In 2024, they attended to more than 300 cases of minor victims of sexual abuse across the state, 40% of which involved victims of close relatives.

Furthermore, the Red de Apoyo a Víctimas de Violencia Sexual en el Caribe Mexicano (Support Network for Victims of Sexual Violence in the Mexican Caribbean) has offered support to the Italian mother, who, along with her son and other family members, is suffering from violence.

This Network provides service in Quintana Roo, Yucatán, and Campeche. In Quintana Roo, it has offices in Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and Chetumal. In addition to psychological and legal attention, it offers empowerment workshops for victims (over 12 years old) and training for teachers or community personnel to detect signs of sexual abuse in minors. It collaborates directly with the FGEQR to monitor sexual abuse cases that have failures in the judicial process, like that of Giorgia del Rosso.

For its part, the Centro de Atención Integral a Víctimas de Violencia (CAIVI) of Playa del Carmen has shown its willingness to help Giorgia del Rosso and her son. This center is a local organization focused on the Playa del Carmen and Riviera Maya area. It offers immediate attention to victims (during emergency hours) and long-term follow-up, including temporary shelter for minors who cannot stay in their homes due to risk of re-abuse, and support for processing protection requests with the authorities.