«All for my Daughter»

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10 May, 2019

Monday, April 29^th saw the Colombian premiere of the All for my Daughter series, through TV channel Canal 1. The Turkish series shows the harsh reality of child abuse all over the world, and the fact that girls are the most vulnerable to it. The series also tries to create awareness regarding child abuse at home.

All for my Daughter

The series tells the story of a young substitute teacher who, after discovering that one of her female students is abused by her parents, makes the impulsive decision of taking the child with her and starting a new life together.

Melek is the 6-year-old child who Zeinep, the teacher, adopts. Together as mother and daughter they will embark on many adventures.

Canal 1 is transmitting the Turkish adaptation of what was originally a Japanese drama that premiered back in 2016. The TV show has been nominated to many awards, such as the 2017 Golden Butterfly Awards in the Best Child Actor category and the 2017 Tokyo Drama Awards as Best Foreign Series.

Child abuse in Colombia

In preparation for the show’s premiere, representatives of Colombian foundations and organizations against child abuse made an analysis of the girl’s story, concluding that children often face situations far worse than those that Melek lives through in the series.

Isabel Cuadros, manager at the Asociación Afecto / Affect Association – which is considered a pioneer when it comes to reporting child abuse cases in the country—remarks that the series could be used as a teaching tool to demonstrate what child abuse is. In Colombia, it is estimated that a child is abused every 23 minutes.

95% of child sex abuse cases go unpunished, a fact that demands greater attention from the authorities. When it comes to the TV show, it also remarks that girls are by far the most vulnerable and affected ones when it comes to this particular type of crime.

On the other hand, experts from Aldeas Infantiles / Child Villages think that responsibility falls on all of society when it comes to strengthening family values.

Abuse’s indelible mark

An abused child can show issues when it comes to his or her mental development, which would ultimately affect their social and emotional growth. Sex abuse against girls and teenagers is the worst type of abuse that can be inflicted on them, and most of it occurs daily, all over the world, at all levels of society, and more often than not from within the child’s own family.

The main risk that victims face when they reach adulthood is the possibility of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Scientists from the University of Missouri have researched the impact of this trauma through a model that starts from the hormonal differences between both sexes, concluding that child abuse can harm a person’s response system when faced with stressful situation, thus diminishing their capabilities to properly solve them.

According to the study, when two properly-working hormonal systems battle stress, victims of childhood sex abuse are able to show resilience. On the other hand, a pronounced alteration in the cortisol and oxytocin levels indicate less efficient stress response systems.

The Vatican announced stricter child abuse laws

By

Rafael Núñez

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10 May, 2019

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Pope Francis announced a new, stricter law that will force priests and church members to report any suspected sexual harassment or abuse, in their fight against these types of crime. However, the new law doesn’t force said people to alert the police about said cases.

A clergy on the alert

Besides demanding people to report any suspicions regarding sexual harassment or abuse, church members all over the world will be required to create a freely accessible report system where anyone can report abuse cases, which should be examined in 90 days or less.

The decision to modify the church’s inner laws came from the pope himself, via letter. This law remarks that the absolute secrecy of confession will remain the same, excluding cases where the abuse happened during confession itself.

The pope’s letter, titled “You are the Light of the World”, points out that any type of abuse is an affront against God, and that the physical, psychological and spiritual damage inflicted on the victims hurt the faithful and their communities.

The letter also invites people to adopt methods meant to prevent and fight against crimes that betray the faith of the believers, through concrete actions that involve all church members. It prohibits the production, possession and distribution via web of child porn, and condemns all cases where church authorities helped cover such crimes.

However, the new law doesn’t force anyone to inform the police about the situation, but rather asks people to go to the bishops themselves, who many times before have been accused of perpetrating said abuse, as well as covering for others. So while it is a good first step taken towards stopping these crimes and creating a world-wide church law, the process remains an internal one.

Before this law, the need to report was left up to the conscience of priests and nuns. Now, it is a world-wide church law with retroactive effect, meaning that they must also report old cases. People who report these crimes will have access to anonymity and protection.

The revolution of 1968 led to child abuse

In a bid to demonstrate a strong stance against child abuse, pope Benedict XVI published an essay-letter in a German magazine, where he claimed that pederasts were born thanks to the 1968 Revolution, when the production of explicit audio-visual materials was made legal.

He considered that the liberties granted after the revolution of ’68 led to pedophilia being normalized, which in turn led to homosexual groups to form inside the church.

For many, but especially those who have suffered abuse, it is an embarrassing letter, since it dismisses any abuse reported before the ‘60s.

8.000 Boy Scout leaders have been accused of child abuse in the past seven decades

By

Rafael Núñez

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3 May, 2019

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Janet Warren’s testimony on child abuse revealed the true reach of accusations made by the Boy Scout organization, after offering her expert testimony during a trial on child abuse attacks that took place in a Minneapolis children’s theater, during a time when the New York archdiocese has revealed a list of 120 priests accused of abusing children.

8.000 U.S. Boy Scout leaders

The United States’ Boy Scout organization keeps records that go as far back as 70 years, where evidence has been found of almost 8.000 different abuse cases committed by volunteers who were later expelled from the organization, after being accused of molesting children under their care.

The expert’s finds were announced this past April 23^rd by attorney Jeff Anderson, who has represented victims of child abuse perpetrated by both the Boy Scout organization and the catholic church.

Warren’s study is based on a review of the data found on the documents known as the Perversion Files, thanks to a request made by the Boy Scout organization, which kept the information of volunteers that left the organization “due to reasonable accusations of child abuse.”

The Boy Scouts keep records that go as far back as the time before World War One, which translates to 72 years-worth of documentation (1944-2016) that contain the name of at least 7.819 “perpetrators of abuse” with a tragic number of 12.254 victims.

Anderson’s Firm –which also presented the lawsuit against the children’s theater and exposed the expert’s findings during a Manhattan press conference—remarked that a new law approved in New York makes it easier for victims to sue their abusers, allowing them to present charges that could translate to up to 28 years behind bars for the abusers themselves, and 55 years for the organizations that allowed said abuse to happen.

Around 2,2 million children and almost a million volunteers are part of this organization.

Unpublished lists

Unlike the catholic church, the Boy Scout organization hasn’t published the names of the accused, so the general public doesn’t know who they are. Despite taking the necessary steps to stop the abuse and support the victims, they never let the community know who was a confirmed child abuser.

From his part, Timothy Dolan, Cardinal of New York, published a list with over 120 names of church members – including Bishops, Priests and Deacons – linked to child abuse cases, which makes it the largest reveal the religious institution has made on this subject.

Besides all this, a publication by the Pennsylvania Grand Jury of a list of church members who helped cover up the attacks has prompted other Bishops to publish the names of priests accused with irrefutable evidence.

In the case of the Boy Scout volunteers, the Oregon Supreme Court demanded the publication of the relevant records during the trial, making them available for the attending press such as The New York Times, which revealed that the records contained accusations against 1.247 Boy Scout leaders between the years 1.965 and 1.985.

It was also revealed that, while unlike the church, some of the accusations lacked basis, others pointed to prosecutors and local cops as having helped cover the abuse, in order to avoid giving bad press to the Boy Scout organization.

«I’m a superhero» in the fight against child abuse

By

Rafael Núñez

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2 May, 2019

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In honor of Mexico’s Children’s Day, the Early Institute, the Fundación Grupo México / Mexico Group Foundation and the Promotora Social Mexico / Mexican Social Promoter announced the five winners of Cineminuto’s Alumbra con tu Idea / Teach with Your Idea contest, which this year had child abuse as its theme. Short film Soy un Superhéroe / I’m a superhero was the winner.

I’m a Superhero

Short film Soy un Superhéroe won the first prize. It was created by Fabiola Alemán and Nadia Linares, and made use of E-rated language to teach children to say no when they find themselves in vulnerable situations.

Soy un Superhéroe’s aim is to make viewers reflect on the fact that real-life villains are not like those in movies, since the ones around us look just like normal people. It also reminds everyone of the daily work that we must all take part of to prevent and detect harassment and sexual aggressions against minors.

The authors, besides thanking everyone for the reward, expressed their admiration towards the organizations. To them, focusing in two key publics, adults and children, was key. They also pointed out that oftentimes, adults who notice children in vulnerable situations can teach them to say no and ask for help.

The winning short film, Soy un Superhéroe, will be projected in over 260 Cinemex theaters all over the country, where it is expected to reach over 6 million viewers.

Teach with Your Idea

The contest was open between January 21^st and March 19^th, time in which 110 different entries were entered from 16 Mexican cities. Besides the main winner, another 16 prizes were awarded, rewarding notable films for their focus, emotional weight, story and creativity.

The reward ceremony saw the participation of actress and singer Dulce María, who also acted as the contest’s image girl. She invited all those at the event to reflect on the presented problem and its consequences, as well as on the importance of talking about it in order to combat and completely eliminate it.

During the ceremony, parents were asked to remain vigilant with their children’s use of social media, as it can act as a double-edged sword and ultimately harm careless users.

Present at the event were Dr. Mario Arroyo, who is part of the Early Institute’s Consulting and Investigative Committee, Juan Carlos Domenzain, Executive President of Promotora Social México, and Lucero Vallejo, Conscience Manager at Cinemex and Fundación Grupo México’s Institutional Support center.

The award was created as an answer to child abuse reports, which gave the organizers the idea that making noise and creating awareness on the subject while using kid-friendly language would be the best way to spread the message.

Recent studies show that girls are seven times more likely to be hospitalized due to abuse than boys, that 60% of these types of crimes happen in the victim’s home and that 4 out of every 10 victims are younger than 15 years old.

The worst type of abuse is the one that targets children

By

Rafael Núñez

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26 April, 2019

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To honor the international day against child abuse, the Chilean government launched a 3D campaign titled “The Worst Type of Abuse” in its mission to stop sexual abuse against children, and reinforce the need for citizens to detect it, report it and stop it. The initiative is one of many activities launched all over the world in order to raise awareness regarding the importance of protecting children.

Look at The Worst Type of Abuse in 3D

The campaign was launched in a public event in which everyone was reminded of the importance of identifying if children were being subjected to any type of abuse and, if so, to stop it by reporting it to the appropriate authorities.

During the event, assistants were reminded that sex crimes were, indeed, the worst type of abuse a child can be subjected to, which made it particularly important for everyone around them –adults, family, neighbors and others—to become aware of the situation and worry about what may be occurring.

Sexual abuse is a type of abuse that doesn’t leave visible marks, reason why it is important to remain vigilant and, above all, talk to children in order to take proper action. The campaign calls for everyone to learn how to detect the abuse to later report it and therefore stop it, thus attacking it from three different fronts.

Keeping quiet when it comes to abuse leaves long-term damage in children, which translates to an important number of cases that are never reported, and very few which are.

Besides, generally speaking, abusers tend to come from the child’s closest circles, be they part of their day-to-day activities of even family members, which makes attacking the problem even harder, since family itself should be the one to take the first step to stop the abuse.

April 25th, the day for Awareness and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

Every April 25^th awareness is raised regarding child abuse, and the rights of children and teenagers. During this day, all countries and non-government entities launch awareness and prevention campaigns and activities.

The Dominican Republic saw the celebration of the XVI Walk Against Child Abuse, for the sake of an abuse-free childhood, in which children sported messages regarding the way they should be treated, participating alongside family members and organizers from the Children’s Houses Administration (A.E.I.S.S.), supporting positive child-rearing, in the name of a healthy and safe childhood.

While using April 25^th to reflect on child abuse and the rights of children and teenagers, we must also remember to think on the need of not using physical abuse as a tool when raising children.

The term is applied when –by either purposeful action, omission or negligence—children are deprived of their rights and wellbeing, or their physical or mental integrity is put at risk; This type of abuse can come from people, institutions or the child’s surrounding environment, including their family.

The International Children’s Right Convention prohibits “the use of violence, discrimination, degradation, humiliation and intimidation” and recognizes the rights of children and teenagers to not be subjected to any type of economic exploitation, torture, abuse or negligence, sexual abuse or any type of cruelty or degradation.

UNICEF authorities claim that many generations were raised under physical and psychological methods of discipline that, through time, have become traditional and aren’t considered unnecessary violence against children.

Also, home life itself could be a form of torture for children, especially when economic uncertainty directly affects the behavior of the house’s adults, which leads to abusive situations.

According to a global study published in 2017 by UNICEF “A Habitual Situation: Violence in the lived of children and teenagers”, physical and psychological abuse against children affects 7 of every 10 children aged between 2 and 4 years old, including sexual violence, violence against children inside the house, violent deaths in teenagers and violence in schools.