6 strategies to prevent violence against children, according to Unicef
There is no need to postpone anything, we must move on to action. Unfortunately, at present the child violence It is not inevitable and we continue to find cases of assaults against children. However, it is possible to interrupt the cycle of violence against the smallest, and we all have an obligation to move immediately to action, for moral reasons and for the defense of human rights.
We can prevent the violence and we must do it starting today. Thus Unicef he has elaborated a plan with several strategies with which the whole society can collaborate to eradicate this scourge that many little ones in their homes suffer from day to day. The objective is to involve the general public and mobilize it for action. Encourage them to understand the seriousness of this situation and work to end it.
Strategies to eradicate violence, according to Unicef
"Violence breeds violence, we know that children who suffer violence tend to consider violence as normal, even acceptable ... And they are more likely to perpetuate violence against their own children in the future. trauma that children suffer due to social violence we are opening the doors to problems that can last a lifetime ... and trigger negative attitudes that can reverberate from one generation to another ".
With these words Anthony Lake, Executive Director of Unicef, puts society in a position to make understand the gravity of child violence. These are some strategies with which to put an end to this context:
1. Give support to parents, caregivers and their families. When families, caregivers and parents receive education about the development of children in early childhood, they increase the likelihood that they will use positive discipline methods. In this way, the risk of violence in the home is reduced.
2. Help children and adolescents to face the risks and challenges. In order to reduce violence in schools and communities, it is essential to give children and adolescents the knowledge and skills necessary to face and resolve situations of risk and challenges without resorting to violence, as well as to seek the support required when provoke situations of violence.
3. Modify attitudes and social norms that foment violence and discrimination. The surest way to avoid violence before it is triggered is to modify the social attitudes and norms that hide hidden violence in plain sight.
4. Promote and support services for children. If children are encouraged to seek appropriate professional support when incidents of violence occur, and to report them, they are helped to cope with and better resolve their experiences with violence.
5. Apply laws and policies that protect children. The imposition and application of laws and policies for the protection of children constitute a clear message to society in general that violence is not acceptable and will be punished.
6. Carry out data collection and research tasks. Acquiring knowledge about violence (where it happens, in what way, and which sectors of the child population are most affected, disaggregated by origin and age) is essential to plan and design intervention strategies and set numerical goals and deadlines to monitor progress achieved and eliminate violence.
Success examples
To show how the tactics that UNICEF suggests to families, this organization sets the example of several successful cases throughout the world in different countries. These are some of them and they show that the prevention of child violence is possible:
- Turkey. In this country, a program of education for fathers and mothers managed to reduce corporal punishment by 73% within a period of two years.
- U.S. A program of home visits that was carried out during 15 years helped to diminish in 48% the cases of abuse and abandonment of children.
- Sweden. A law that banned corporal punishment, supplemented by a vast 35-year education and awareness campaign, resulted in a decrease in the proportion of children hit by adults from 90% to 10%.
Damián Montero
