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Description
Physical child abuse is a major global public health problem according to the National Convention on the Rights of the Child. As a result, the program’s main goal is to safeguard the rights of vulnerable children through prompt recognition of suspicious cases from public officials and awareness-raising of citizens & journalists.
In Greece, rates of physical child abuse recognition are low, even though it is considered the most common type of abuse. In fact, studies indicate that 1 out of 2 children has been the victim of at least one incidence of physical abuse. Reduced detection, amongst others, stems from the lack of:
1. Structured training program for health professionals
2. Statutory detection process in pediatric care centers
3. Lack of collaboration among the agencies
ELIZA in collaboration with 11 University Pediatric Departments, 6 Medical Schools, the Ministry of Health and a network of experts will conduct 6 state-of-the-art seminars in cities with tertiary pediatric care centers (Athens, Salonika, Patras, Alexandroupolis, Ioannina, Larissa) in order to train 1.000 Public officials/health professionals and medical/ nursing students. Simultaneously, they will be trained on the Protocol which is a specialized detection tool. Additionally, awareness will be raised among 3.200.000 citizens, through TV and Social media campaign as well as distribution of 20.000 guides with practical advice for the protection and upbringing of children to parents and caretakers all over Greece. 40 journalists (TV, radio, newspapers, websites) will receive insightful information related to the protection of abused childrens’ rights. The entire program will be supported with an integral communication plan to provide publicity at a national and local level, highlighting the synergies among donating countries and the contribution of every party involved.
Summary of project results
Physical child abuse is a major global public health problem according to the National Convention on the Rights of the Child. As a result, the project’s main goal was to safeguard the rights of vulnerable children through prompt recognition of suspicious cases from public officials and awareness-raising of citizens & journalists. In Greece, rates of physical child abuse recognition are low, even though it is considered the most common type of abuse. In fact, studies indicate that 1 out of 2 children has been the victim of at least one incidence of physical abuse. Reduced detection, amongst others, stems from the lack of:
1. Structured training program for health professionals
2. Statutory detection process in pediatric care centers
3. Lack of collaboration among the agencies
Through the project, an interdisciplinary team was established in Greece and the USA, which designed and implemented a series of initiatives, with the following results.
• 6 training workshops in Athens, Thessaloniki, Alexandroupolis, Ioannina, Patras and Larissa, through which 297 medical students and residents, as well as 1,286 public officers, mainly physicians, were trained. The training workshops provided a holistic training on the management of cases of suspected physical abuse of children with the scientific supervision of the Child Safety Care Unit of the 2nd Pediatric Clinic of the University of Athens, in "P. & A. Kyriakou" Children''s Hospital.
• A nationwide campaign on television and social media aimed at raising awareness of the need to protect the rights of vulnerable children, through which 6,760,794 citizens became aware of our message.
• 90 journalists across Greece received specialized material about the need to protect the rights of children at risk
• 13,000 parents of infants and young children and caregivers received the guides "Becoming a parent day by day" & "Baby Shaking Syndrome"