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Children's Day 2021 - Let's look for ways to trust children

The National Coordination Centre for Resolving the Issues of Violence against Children (NKS) has launched a short miniseries of "It Does Concern Us" on social networks. These are articles with infographics that focus not only on supporting the protection of child victims of violence or the importance of the presumption of victim status, but also a particularly vulnerable victim and the problem of society-wide access to child victims of violence.

On the occasion of International Children's Day, NKS decided to reflect on the complex but important topic of the approach to protecting children from violence and to appeal to the public in order to provide support to child victims of violence. "Violence itself is hurtful and the pain is often multiplied by the insensitive attitude of the environment and society, when the circumstances of the violence perpetrated on the child are questioned and downplayed,"said NKS director Mária Vargová, behind the scenes. "For a child, it is very difficult to experience any form of violence. Experiencing such traumatic events internally is challenging and painful and talking about the experience itself requires great courage and significant support from others."

Violence affects everyone, so we should learn to communicate about it in such a way, that in addition to respecting the right to the presumption of innocence, we also respect the principle of the presumption of victim status. When cases of violence are uncovered, people often tend to think that the crime only happened, if it is proven. The responsibility for proof is often placed on the shoulders of the child. At the same time, the principle of presumption of victim status is the right to protection and support of the victim, regardless of whether the perpetrator has been identified or convicted. Children deserve to be heard, understood and need to feel that they are not alone in their problems. Any person claiming to be a victim, shall be considered a victim, until proven otherwise.

"The public's attitude with a tendency to question children and their experiences on the basis of child´s age, past, social environment or even their placement in children's homes and the related harmful assumption that children can plot, reshape or even lie in order to get attention, seems to be extremely dangerous. Such an attitude is unacceptable. If we question child victims of violence, we will continue to traumatize the victim who has found the courage to speak up and seek help, as well as the abused child, who has not yet shared his/her experience." closed the director of NKS Mária Vargová.

The National Coordination Centre for Resolving the Issues of Violence against Children is also soon launching a new national campaign to raise awareness of violence through channels on social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Youtube), as well as on radio and television.

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