-
.
- Ελληνικά
The increasing phenomena of school bullying, school bullying, football and fan violence and the ways in which the state can address them, were the focus of today's meeting between the President of the Parliament, Annita Demetriou, and the Commissioner for the Protection of Children's Rights, Despo Michailidou-Livaniou, on the occasion of the delivery of the Annual Report of the Commissioner's Office.
According to a statement by the Parliament, the Commissioner briefed the President of the Parliament on the work carried out during the period covered by the report and both sides had the opportunity to exchange views and discuss child welfare issues. Particular reference was made to the impact of the pandemic on their mental health, as they are perhaps the biggest victims of the whole situation.
The increasing phenomena of bullying, football and fan violence and the ways in which the state can address them were of particular concern in the discussion, while both sides stressed the need to promote the voice and opinions of children themselves, as their basic right of expression.
The President of the Parliament, for her part, praised the importance of the institution and expressed the will for close cooperation with the Commissioner, for the organization of a series of joint activities, aiming to familiarize children with the legislative work and parliamentary life, but also to cultivate empathy for issues and challenges that democracy has to deal with. Michailidou stressed the impact of the pandemic period on children, since "prolonged isolation has had, as recent research shows, serious psychosocial effects on children and has jeopardised their well-being", as she explained in a statement.
"Over the past two years, I have made it a priority to investigate the impact of pandemic containment measures on the psycho-emotional well-being of children, and to intervene where any decisions or perspectives have not prioritised the best interests of the child," she added.
The Commissioner said that "at a time when a sense of absolute control over everyday life prevailed" and "health security took precedence over other rights", not enough attention was paid to the protection of mental health and in particular of vulnerable groups such as children. "Social isolation, exclusion from school communities, diversification of routine, all invested with the risk of loss, illness and threatened death of loved ones, have been stressors in children's lives," the Commissioner explained.
She said that children themselves spoke of "lost childhood, lost experiences, lost motivation for life, anxiety, fears, insecurity, instability and disorganization of their lives", while the impact on children with disabilities was heightened, as was the impact of parents' inability to parent effectively due to professional challenges they faced.
"The problems and difficulties highlighted by the new state of affairs as a consequence of covid-19 are an opportunity for investigation and reflection," the Commissioner concluded, adding that we need to "put the new data into practice, engage in well-planned programming on the basis of children's rights, so that, as far as possible, we can repair the damage already done to children over the last two years and prevent its impact in the future."
Source: CNA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
