Child protection

Speaker

Sirpa Rautio

At an informal Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Copenhagen under the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union combatting violence against children was discussed. The director of FRA, Sirpa Rautio, stressed the importance of developing strong, integrated child protection systems, highlighting the need to root child protection in children’s rights, and emphasise their rights to equal participation, protection and development.

Dear Ministers, dear colleagues, 

Violence against children takes many forms, and people often do not realise what constitutes such violence, which goes far beyond corporal punishment or verbal abuse. The phenomenon is compounded by the rising numbers of children who are at risk of poverty, social exclusion and homelessness. It is further aggravated by a surge in mental health issues among children, and by the alarmingly high statistics on child sexual abuse, both offline and online. We also need to consider how children with disabilities experience violence, whether they live in the community or in institutions. 

With respect to the question of corporal punishment – FRA has data on attitudes towards this. FRA asked the general population if they would intervene when witnessing a parent slapping their child on the street. In the EU-27, on average 52 % indicated that they would be ready to intervene – which ranges from 85 % through to 20 % depending on the Member State. This data suggests strong cultural differences in acceptance of corporal punishment, which warrants further research. 

Furthermore, many children are both witnesses and victims of domestic violence, as the recent Eurostat, FRA and EIGE survey on gender-based violence has shown. Children who witness domestic violence should also be treated as victims in proceedings, for which all the necessary procedural safeguards should be in place. 

Combatting violence against children means having effective prevention and reporting mechanisms in place. This entails training professionals interacting with children to identify risks early on. It also involves raising awareness among children, families, professionals, and society at large on what constitutes violence against children and what should be done about it. 

In all interactions between justice professionals and children, we need to avoid the secondary victimisation of children. All children who are victims of violence should have access to high quality support services. The Barnahus model may offer inspiration here. It is a child-centred approach to handling cases of child abuse, neglect or violence in a safe environment, to prevent secondary victimisation and re-traumatisation.  

I would also like to stress the importance of developing strong, integrated child protection systems, which emphasise the collective obligation of all authorities and professionals in contact with children to uphold their rights. FRA’s published material on integrated child protection systems can offer Member States some insights in this regard. 

To conclude, we need to root child protection in children’s rights, and emphasise their rights to equal participation, protection and development, as foreseen in the UN Convention on the rights of the Child, and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. 

Thank you.