Filenews 18 November 2022
From the day of operation of the House of the Child (CP) in September 2017 until October 2022, referrals have been received for 1,565 children to be investigated for sexual abuse, the Organization Hope For Children said in a statement, on the occasion of today's European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
The announcement states that in 2017-2018, when the CoP operated only in Nicosia, 136 children were referred, while in 2019, when the CoP was operating nationwide, it handled 294 children, in 2020 - 324 children, in 2021 - 481 children and for the current year until the end of October 2022, referrals were received for 330 children.
According to data derived from the statistical analysis of 2022, in terms of gender, 23,3% were boys and 76,7% were girls, which is also in line with the data of 2021.
The average age of children served was 12 years and the most common age was 14. A percentage that reaches 60% of the victims have Cypriot citizenship, followed by other nationalities in much smaller percentages.
Regarding the form of sexual abuse identified by the analysis of the data, 49.7% (164 children) involved sexual abuse with physical contact, 23.3% (77 children) involved sexual abuse without physical contact while 20.3% (67 children) involved another type ie. exhibition or exploitation (e.g. photos or videos on the internet).
The communication notes that these figures are consistent with both international and European research as well as data derived from respective structures.
With the operation of the CP, children who will be investigated for sexual abuse, receive immediate support until the trial of the case in court.
"There is a need for such coordinated actions to be taken for all forms of violence and not to discriminate in their management," it noted.
It is added that the CP has managed to bring together professionals from completely different specialties and to be able to share the same language and philosophy, regarding the avoidance of further victimization of the child by retelling his story.
The announcement also makes public a statement from a child who received services at the CP and has been rehabilitated: "The difficult things become easier when you share them with those who will support you. I would now like to help other children."
The communication also states that "Hope For Children" supports and promotes the Council of Europe's campaign "Getting it right: ensuring child-friendly justice through Barnahus structures in Europe" which invites member states to focus on Barnahus structure standards in Icelandic.
The CP in Cyprus has been operating for the last 5.5 years and its management has been assigned by the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare to Hope For Children.
It is recalled that the design and operation of this structure was preceded by special trainings by experts in Iceland, America and Sweden.
The CP provides services such as forensic interview, medical examinations, psychological and social support, treatment and rehabilitation. Professionals from the Cyprus Police, the Social Welfare Services (SWS), the Mental Health Services (YPSY), the Educational Psychology Service (YEPS) and the Medical Services cooperate in the Home area.
Following a decision of the Council of Ministers in 2022, the building extension of the CoP was also approved. The expansion aims to meet the existing growing needs for managing cases of child sexual abuse. The decision was taken after finding that the need to manage cases of child sexual abuse is increasing.
CNA
