Chile investigating 61 schools in country's capital for child sex abuse

SANTIAGO, Chile – Chile's attorney general is investigating 61 schools in the country's capital for possible child sex abuse.

The investigation follows a recent rise in reports of such crimes in one of Latin America's most socially conservative countries.

Attorney general Sabas Chahuan said Friday that his office will look at 49 schools in eastern Santiago and 12 on the capital's west side. Several teachers have recently been accused of sexually molesting children at day care centers and schools in affluent neighborhoods on the city's eastern side.

According to official estimates, reports of sexual abuse of children under age 14 jumped 22 percent in the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2011.