Portugal Catholic Clergy Abused Close To 5,000 Children, Says Report

Members of the Portuguese Catholic Church have abused nearly 5,000 children over the last seven decades, a report said on Monday.

The report added that it identified at least 4,815 victims of child sex abuse by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church, mostly priests.

Child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht, who headed the commission said; "We want to pay a sincere tribute to those who were abuse victims during their childhood and dared to give a voice to silence. They are much more than a statistic."

Strecht said the 4,815 cases were the "absolute minimum" number of victims of sexual abuse by clergy members in Portugal since 1950.

The majority of the sexual abuses took place when the children were aged 10-14, with the youngest victim being just 2.

Strecht added that they were abused in Catholic schools, churches, priests' homes, and confessionals, among other locations.