RAPE OF VULNERABLE THE RELEVANCE OF THE VICTIM'S WORD FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROOF AND CONVICTION

Abstract

This article aims to analyze and discuss the weaknesses arising from the provision expressed in Article 217a of the Penal Code, namely the rape of the vulnerable, in particular the relevance of the victim's word for the purpose of justifying the criminal sentence and the fragility of this evidence, which may result in an unfair conviction. This is because by attributing a relevant probative value to the victim's word, as the only means of proof, without paying attention to the weaknesses and external influences that it may be coated with, that is, not considering any contexts in which the child is inserted, gaps are opened that may incur possible errors in the process. By way of example, not infrequently, she is invested with false memories due to parental alienation or even due to error in the psychological report, situations that will be addressed during the work. Thus, it is necessary to adapt in the Brazilian Criminal Legal System, according to the reality in which it lives and the transformations in the understanding and development of children and adolescents, in order to protect the vulnerable and offer an effective judicial provision, so that the conviction of an innocent person and its inevitable consequences can be avoided.