Today is the World Day for Prevention of Abuse and Violence Against Children. As the only institution in Armenia that performs crisis intervention and youth rehabilitation, FAR’s Children Support Foundation Center (CSFC) joined the 2010 campaign by organizing and taking part in round table discussions with other child protection groups in Armenia.
On November 15, 62 child protection specialists gathered for discussion in Kotayk and Ararat marz with the aim of developing a strategy plan to further prevent child abuse in Armenia. As part of the plan, they mapped services and referral mechanisms as well as outlined the basic problems in regard to violence and abuses against children in the cultural context. Today, the strategy plan will be submitted to policy makers at Yerevan’s Congress Hotel.
According to CSFC, almost 100 percent of children who come to the center are victims of psychological abuse. Between 12-15 percent of them have been raped or subjected to sexual violence each year, usually by someone within their family circle. Between 50 and 60 percent of children are said to have witnessed domestic violence. Furthermore, the majority of these children suffer at the hands of their parents and caregivers as violence in the family can be perpetuated in the form of harsh punishment, like beating. Other close members of a child’s social circle perpetrate the majority of violent acts against children, including peers, caregivers and neighbors.