This article refers to the institution. For the child abuse scandal, see Casa Pia child sexual abuse scandal

Casa Pia child sexual abuse scandal

The Casa Pia child sexual abuse scandal was a case of child sexual abuses involving a number of children and employees at Casa Pia, a Portuguese state-run institution for the education and support of poor children and under-age orphans...

.

The Casa Pia is a Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 institution founded by Mary I, known as "Pia" (Pious, in English), and organized by Police Intendant Pina Manique

Pina Manique

Dr. Diogo Inácio de Pina Manique was a Portuguese magistrate.He was the son and heir of Pedro Damião de Pina Manique , who succeeded his father in the ground-rent of Knight-Fidalgo of the Royal Household Dr. Diogo Inácio de Pina Manique (Lisbon, Santa Catarina, 3 October 1733 — Lisbon,...

 in 1780, following the social disarray of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake

1755 Lisbon earthquake

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...

. For almost three centuries, thousands of young boys and girls were raised by Casa Pia, including many public personalities, called casapianos. Casa Pia is Portugal's

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 largest educational institution dedicated to helping youngsters in risk of social exclusion or without parental support.

The organisation is composed of ten schools and enrolls approximately 4700 students. In addition to standard schooling, the organisation also provides boarding for children in need. It strives to enable these youngsters to become healthy and successful members of society, by developing intellectual, manual, and physical traits, in an environment promoting spiritual, moral, and religious values. The institution is proud to have had amongst its students many outstanding Portuguese personalities, including politicians, journalists, and artists.

The first location was in Castle of São Jorge of Lisboa, an important center of production for the Portuguese Royal Navy and Army, and also for Vocational education

Vocational education

Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...

: masters trained at Casa Pia, when returned to their home, instruct others in the same profession. More advanced alumns may advance to professional careers. Next level course studies at London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 (for medicine), the Portuguese Royal Navy academy, Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 and the Portuguese Academy.

Two years after the death of Pina Manique, the Casa Pia closed due to the occupation of the Castle of São Jorge by the French troops of Junot. The school reopened in 1812 at Convento do Desterro, and then the government moved the institution to Jerónimos Monastery, Lisbon at 1833. In 1942, it created a network of home

Home

A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...

s for children. At this time it is formed by:

• Colégio de Pina Manique
• Colégio de D. Maria Pia
• Colégio de D. Nuno Álvares Pereira
• Colégio de Santa Clara
• Colégio de Santo Christo
• Colégio de Nossa Senhora da Conceição
• Colégio de Santa Catarina
• Colégio de António Aurélio da Costa Ferreira
• Escola Agrícola de Francisco Margiochi - polo do Arrife e polo da Paiã
• Centro Educativo e de Apoio Social do Monte da Caparica

And also as complementary services:

• Provedoria
• Centro Cultural Casapiano
• Colónia Balnear da Areia Branca (Lourinhã)
• Centro de Educação Ambiental e Cultural de Colares
• Equipamento de férias do Arrife
• Equipamento de férias da Matela

Scandal

Casa Pia de Lisboa made world headlines because of a major child sexual abuse

Child sexual abuse

Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...

 scandal. Incidents reportedly began occurring starting in the 1970s, but were only revealed in 2002. Many prominent people were arrested, including Paulo Pedroso

Paulo Pedroso

Paulo Pedroso is a former Secretary of State and Minister for Labor and Training of Portugal from 1999 to 2001, professor, politician and member of the Portuguese Parliament....

, (former Socialist

Socialist Party (Portugal)

The Socialist Party , abbreviated to PS, is a social-democratic political party in Portugal. It was founded on 19 April 1973 in the German city of Bad Münstereifel, by militants from Portuguese Socialist Action ....

 minister, with charges later dropped), Portuguese TV host Carlos Cruz (television host) and former ambassador Jorge Ritto, among others.

As a result, the scandal and the Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

 trial inundated public life with sordid child abuse stories, leading to a media circus

Media circus

Media circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event where the media coverage is perceived to be out of proportion to the event being covered, such as the number of reporters at the scene, the amount of news media published or broadcast, and the level of media hype...

from 2003 to 2005. On September 3, 2010, after one of the longest trials in Portuguese history. Carlos Cruz (seven years), Carlos Silvino (eighteen years), Hugo Marçal (six years, two months), Manuel Abrantes (five years, nine months), Ferreira Diniz (seven years) and Jorge Ritto (six years, eight months) were convicted on charges of pedophilia and other crimes that had occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This was the first time an institutional sex abuse scandal was taken to court in Portugal.