On November 18, the European Day for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse was celebrated. In 2021, this Day was devoted to the theme "Making the circle of trust truly safe for children"
Violence against children is a global problem, and Ukraine is no exception. Sexual exploitation and sexual violence are considered one of the most severe forms of violence against children.
Many children never tell about cases of sexual abuse. Whether it is due to the early age of the children, who cannot yet recognize such abuse, to the love of sports and admiration for their coaches, to the fear of revenge or to simple shame - very often the victims live, keeping everything a secret and experiencing the trauma of suffering throughout their lives . Informing children about sexual abuse in a language they understand, appropriate for their age, creating specialized services (for example, hotlines), as well as raising parents' awareness of the dangers - this is one of the ways to reduce the risk and prevent crime.
Since 2018, a project on the prevention of violence against children has been implemented in Ukraine within the framework of the Action Plan of the Council of Europe (2018-2022). The activity is enshrined in the Strategy of the Council of Europe on the Rights of the Child (2016-2021), including in three priority areas: 1) a life free from violence, 2) friendly justice for children, 3) children's rights in the digital environment. In addition, the project is part of the Council of Europe program "Building Europe for children and together with them."
"Currently, the situation is such that Ukraine has a powerful legislative base, state programs, an action plan of the Council of Europe, the Strategy of the Council of Europe on the Rights of the Child, within the framework of which high-level events, information campaigns, training events for different categories of specialists are held, работающих с детими and council of children — policemen, prosecutors, judges, teachers, social workers, representatives of civil society, etc.
However, the formation of zero tolerance for violence against children in society is an urgent necessity. So that each of us reacted accordingly to the facts of violence and did not keep silent about the problem, thereby creating an environment of trust for the child," says Olga Kalashnyk, head of the Council of Europe project "Combating Violence Against Children in Ukraine".
Information: The Convention of the Council of Europe on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse ("Lanzarote Convention") (CSCE No. 201) has been ratified by all 47 member states of the Council of Europe https://bit.ly/3CmhUmM
