The President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Anastasiades received today, at the Presidential Palace, the annual report of the Commissioner for the Protection of Children's Rights, Mrs.Despo Michailidou Livaniou for 2020.
Receiving the report, the President of the Republic said that he follows the Commissioner's interventions with great interest and her recommendations and suggestions are taken into account by all services.
He added that in the early days of pandemic management the experience was not there, "which is why now it is the test to stay, which takes into account that isolating children in their homes, in addition to creating more risks, takes away the great element of socialization, socialization, freedom in general.
That is why you rightly pointed out that the initial measures, based on international standards, have been ignored or disregarded, resulting in an upheaval in the mental world of children. This is why our insistence that schools stay open is not because anyone wants to harm teachers or harm families. Quite the opposite. What we are seeking is to restore the right to socialize, to socialize, to socialize and generally to behave like human beings.
Thank you and I am glad because what you point out is what determines the current policies of the government through the experience we have gained in managing the pandemic."
Michaelidou: Their complaint that their voices are not being heard
Handing over the report, the Commissioner said "I am handing over the 2020 report to you late because of the situations that the coronavirus has brought us. It has changed our normality and with it has brought multiple problems.
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Clearly, it has affected the most vulnerable groups of the population and among them children, who have suffered multiple reductions in their rights and, above all, an impact on their mental health. It is an area that I believe should be given special attention and partly this aspect has been ignored in the very early stages. We have focused on physical health which was the first priority of course to protect the health of the population and of the children themselves, but we should target mental health.
Children have other needs or are at a developmental stage and it is clear that special attention needs to be paid, so my Office has focused primarily on actions and interventions aimed at protecting also the mental, the holistic health of the child population. And I believe that all Services worked to the best of their ability, the best, with competent officers to cope with the situation, officers not only of the Office but also of other Services.
I think, however, that we need to give more space to children and from various surveys we have been their 'complaint' that their voice is not heard, that their needs were not taken into account when making decisions. And a more child-centred policy, a policy that will give space to the voice of children, I believe will make things better and will make life better for children."
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