The Catalan political and media establishment, portrayed by the DGAIA case

The discovery of a pedophilia network involving a minor under the guardianship of the Generalitat has sparked a political crisis in Catalonia. The focus is on DGAIA (General Directorate of Child and Adolescent Care). The Audit Office uncovered a corrupt scheme months ago that has been silenced by political and media power in Catalonia.

The Audit Office presented a harsh report that was deliberately ignored by most parties in Parliament. Not only that, but PSC and Comuns blocked any parliamentary investigation that could harm their partner, ERC. Now they have rushed to push for an investigation commission to prevent the opposition from capitalizing on the scandal.

The same happens with public and subsidized media. Only a few channels like Octuvre, El Món, and E-Notícies have been reporting on DGAIA's scandals as they emerged. Meanwhile, media like TV3, El Nacional, El Periódico, Nació Digital, and La Vanguardia have tiptoed around it until it became unavoidable.

Now they not only echo it but do so with big headlines, trying to turn a political scandal into a crime chronicle. Media aligned with power attempt to create the image that the problem is the system to hide political responsibilities.

The underlying problem is that the DGAIA scandal exposes the failure of the pro-independence parties' management over the last decade. This threatens to further sink the parties and their media outlets that have been living off subsidies for years. Hence the silence imposed by both sides on this issue.

Govern and its partners, off balance

Govern tried to get ahead of events this Monday by announcing the opening of a file and the appearance of the Minister of Social Rights, Mònica Martínez Bravo. But it comes late and poorly. During these months, they have voted alongside ERC and Comuns to cover up the Audit Office's report and its recommendations.

Not only that, but the minister abruptly dismissed the leadership of DGAIA without explanation. The official reason was that the department needed renewal, although the dismissed director had only been in the position for six months.

This only increased suspicions about a department already in the eye of the storm. The Audit Office uncovered irregular contract awards to entities responsible for providing DGAIA's services.

A whole corrupt system of favoritism, revolving doors, and embezzlement was discovered. For months, it was warned that this was just the tip of the iceberg of an organization hiding many dark sides.

The opposition presented several motions in parliamentary committee, which did not succeed due to the combined forces of the government parties. Special mention goes to Junts, which has always shown erratic behavior in this regard. They requested the appearance of the ministry's officials during the years 2016-2020 but blocked the appearance of the current minister.

Every man for himself

The push for an investigation commission in Parliament months after the Audit Office's report seems like every man for himself. Govern and its partners are now trying to take the initiative to prevent the scandal from taking them down. The reality is that they have been closing their eyes and making all kinds of excuses for months.

Especially ERC, which blames the increase in the arrival of unaccompanied minors in Catalonia, the pandemic, and Article 155. In a triple somersault, deputy Najat Driouech went so far as to say in a parliamentary committee that reporting DGAIA's scandals was feeding the far right.

The DGAIA scandal not only highlights the negligent management of the pro-independence parties over the years. It also exposes a way of operating in Catalonia, where the parties in power cover for each other and the media act at their service. Anyone who wants to break this status quo is doomed to marginalization and censorship, or accusations of being far-right.