Hope For Children is disappointed with the delay in promoting and introducing sex education at all school levels, expresses in a statement, the "Hope For Children" CRC Policy Center.
"The above attitude indicates a lack of determination for an action that, firstly, is an obligation of the Republic of Cyprus under the ratified Lanzarote Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation and the National Action Plan 2021-2023 of the VOICE Council and secondly, is a necessity at a time when the frightening extent of the phenomenon is constantly highlighted," it adds.
It also states that it is worth mentioning that since the inception of the Children's Home, more than 1500 cases of children have been referred for investigation of sexual abuse or exploitation.
He notes that a large number of reports of child sexual abuse reach the relevant authorities from the school context which foreshadows that the inclusion of the subject would provide another avenue for children to report abuse.
"A well designed and structured sex education programme in one of the child's most intimate spaces, the school, will enhance children's knowledge of protection from sexual abuse and will also provide the necessary skills and tools for children themselves to recognise the existence of abuse and share it in order to receive the necessary support," she adds.
He also states that it is the State's obligation to educate children early on to recognise abuse and feel comfortable reporting it to adults they trust.
"The more we reinforce the lack of knowledge and social prejudices, the more we allow abusers to act undisturbed. We conclude with the same question of the related VOICE Council statement: when will we finally give children better tools to be able to recognize, confront and protect themselves from sexual abuse or exploitation?" concludes Hope For Children CRC Policy Center, in its statement.
Source: CRC
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