Caritas, local authorities and German colleagues joined efforts to protect children rights in Ivano-Frankivsk

04.10.2013, Ivano-Frankivsk
“Getting acquainted with basic rights and freedoms is the first step for personal fulfillment as a full-bodied citizen. We all clearly understand that it is impossible to be protected without knowing the limit of own rights and freedoms, things permitted and forbidden in society interest. Active and capable individual from legal point should be informed since childhood. Every child requires care and kind attitude, felling that he/she is needed. These factors influence child’s development, shaping of his/her personality, moral and ethic norms,” Natalia Kozakevych, Executive Director of Caritas Ivano-Frankivsk of the UGCC, is convinced.

“Implementation of the UNO Convention on Children Rights provisions. Social and legal support of families and prevention of child abuse” seminar was carried for two days at the end of September in Ivano-Frankivsk. This event marked the beginning of the project “Every child has right for care of parents, community and the state”. Such social initiative is implemented by Caritas Ivano-Frankivsk with the support of the Children Services Office of the Executive Committee of Ivano-Frankivsk City Council.

Employees of local Caritas say that project joint with city authorities is aimed at securing observance of children’s rights in activities of society institutions by means of raising legal awareness in children’s rights protection.  The objective of a new project is to raise legal awareness of teachers in sphere of modern concept of human and children’s rights, introduce teenagers acting legislation on securing children’s rights and mechanisms of their implementation, create conditions for fulfillment of youngsters creative skills, form practical skills on coping with crisis situations. All events that are planned should be held by the end of 2013.

The seminar, recently held in Caritas Ivano-Frankivsk of the UGCC, gathered civic inspectors on childhood protection in educational establishments and teachers on work by the place of dwelling. They united their efforts and resources to elaborate a joint vision on children’s rights protection and identify child-friendly methods of work.

Experienced trainers were invited for the seminar; they helped participants to cope with certain legal regulations and normative acts on children’s rights protection. Olga Gankevych, teacher of judicial department in the Pre-Carpathian University, spoke about the main mechanisms of children rights protection. Together participants defined the main features of notions ‘child-orphan’, ‘child left without parental care’, ‘children rights’, ‘presentation of child’s interests’ and ‘children rights protection’. The trainer informed about international documents on children’s rights protection, notably with implementation of the UNO Convention on Children Rights provisions in national legislation.

Mykhaylo Yevchuk, Head of the Oblast Center on Rendering Secondary Legal Assistance, informed participants on legal support in protection of children rights and about children rights in criminal behavior. Maria Yevchuk, Head of the Sector on Adoption and Care of Children’s Services Office of Ivano-Frankivsk City Council, spoke about moral rights and obligations of parents and other relatives concerning children, and legal basis of dwelling and property rights of youngsters.

Moreover, during the meeting in Caritas teachers and civic inspectors were able to get practical work experience of advocating the priority of children rights, lobbying and protection of their interests, in particular, from Iryna Dutchak, Deputy Head of the Children Services Office of the Executive Committee of Ivano-Frankivsk City Council.

Caritas experts on rendering reintegration assistance to victims of human trafficking were present at the seminar because more and more minors are being involved in criminal affairs related to human trafficking. They provided information on qualitative and quantative facts of human trafficking in Pre-Carpathian region. Experts are convinced that implementation of preventative activities in students’ environment is a prerequisite to avoid children’s involvement in such crimes. Seminar participants got acquainted with mechanisms of work with interactive methodologies and art-technologies that are efficiently used by Caritas in organization of events for children and youth on prevention of human trafficking.

Natalia Kozakevych retells: “In our work we pay significant attention to legal education of children and youth, by organizing various events directed at securing of children’s rights protection, social support of youngsters and their families. Implementation of this new project will help us in this objective, because it is aimed at raising legal competency in children, and particularly those in complicated living circumstances.

We are glad for such cooperation with Ivano-Frankivsk City Council and grateful to “People in need” foundation in Trier (Germany) for the support they provided! In the course of project implementation it is planned to involve 125 children aged 14-16 years to organization of information and educational activities: trainings on legal subject; 5 clubs for teenagers will be involved. We will employ interactive methods: legal tournament, quests and competitions on social advertising to fulfill the life-sustaining activity of the project and turn children from passive observers into active young individuals.”