Short Report on the SOS telephone line for children and young 0800 1 2222 (tool free) and the free legal service within the First Children’s Embassy in the World-Megjasi (January –December 2010)
· The children are still silent and suffer violence! In 2010 only 30 children, got courage and spoke up about the violence that they are exposed to.
· The largest part of the reported cases in 2010, are connected with the violation of the children’s rights during divorce procedures.
· In 2010 there is an increase of 0.13% reported cases of sexual abuse against children and paedophilia
· The violence within the educational-upbringing institutions is growing.
· 17.99% of the reported cases are coming from the violence within the families
· In 2010 the SOS telephone line for children and youngsters recorded 239 cases of violation of the children’s rights and non-respect of the children’s personality
SOS telephone line for children and youngsters 0800 1 2222 within the First Children’s Embassy in the World Megjasi, was active during the 2010, when it marked 17 years of its introducing.
During the period January –December 2010, we have recorded 239 call reports, of various cases of violation of the children’s rights.
During 2010, the trend of having adults reporting at the SOS telephone line, seeking for an advice, information, expressing concern when witnessing cases of violation of the children’s rights has remained. Out of the total number of reported cases 87,03% are coming from adults and only 7,95% of the cases were reported by the children, which shows that the children are still afraid to speak openly on the cases of violation of their rights, which on the other hand shows low degree of trust that the institutions will help. The fear, insecurity, the low level of self-confidence, lack of trust in the institutional protection and lack of informing on the services that exist to provide aid and support, are the most common reason because of which the children are quiet, suffer the violence and rarely speak about it.
Data on the callers in respect to the ethnical community
Most of the contacts and reports in 2010, as up to now, were at the tool free SOS telephone line for children and youngsters 0800 1 2222. 59.83% of the total number of calls were received reports, but there were cases when the citizens were asking for help, support and information, at the same time directly visiting the SOS service within the Children’s Embassy Megjasi and sending an e-mail.
Problems category
* Problems connected with the violation of the childen’s rights during divorce procedures:
In respect to the cases that we have received most of the reporting by the citizens, the largest number or 46 are related to the problems connected with the violation of the children’s rights during divorce procedures. This means that the problems connected with the custody over the children, without considering the opinion of the child with which parent he/she wants to live with; problems connected with the realisation of the rights of visiting/seeing the parent with the child, achieving the right of alimony, as well as calls connected with the change in the physical condition of the children during the divorce procedure and the disturbed communication among its parents.
These data show that in the largest number of these cases, the children are direct witnesses of the disturbed communication among his/her parent, but are also a victim in these procedures. In large number of the reported cases, there is child’s personality misuse and violation of the children rights by one of the parents, who do not take into consideration the children’s opinion, needs and interest in this kind of situations.
* Family violence:
Every year the family violence is another ,,trend” that is among the top reported cases at the SOS telephone line for children and youngsters within the Children’s Embassy Megjasi. The problems connected with the family violence, include physical and psychological violence against the children, as well as lack of care of certain number of parents for their children, that are immediately after the divorce procedures with total number of 43 reported cases, i.e. 17.99%. Out of all these case, 25 refer to the reporting of the physical violence against the children, 7 are for physical violence and 11 are for miss-care or negligence of the children by their parents.
Following the data from the SOS telephone line, there is larger and larger number of physical and psychological violence that are coming as a consequence of using alcohol or narcotics by violators.
Considering these data, 32% of the total 25 reported case of physical violence are coming as result of the problem with addiction that the violators have, i.e. among the parents as the most frequent executors of the violence against the children.
From the aspect of children victims of the family violence, the data received from the SOS telephone line show that the most common victims from this type of violence are children age 7-13, represented in 54.84%. At the same time, the data from the SOS telephone line, are saying that largest number of children victims, are coming from urban areas or they report the violence more commonly, which is different from the situation in the smaller communities that do not have sufficient information where to address when they are victims of violence coming from their parents.
* Violence within the educational-upbringing institutions
Problems referring to the violence within the educational-upbringing institutions were the next ones in respect to the total number of reported cases received at the SOS telephone line, with 7.95%
The received data are saying that the violence within the schools continues to grow. Even though the physical and psychological molesting of the pupils is prohibited by the law, there are no relevant sanctions that contribute in the lowering of such occurrences among the pupils in the Republic of Macedonia. In 2010, there were 19 reported cases at the SOS telephone line that were connected with the physical and psychological violence in the relation teacher-pupil, as well as relation pupil-pupil.
The largest number of these type of reported cases, total 7, refer to the physical violence by the teachers against the pupils, 4 reported cases on the problems that refer to the physical violence among the teacher-pupil, and 4 reported cases of physical violence among the pupils. What is specific about these cases is the fact that total 3 out of 4 reported cases of violence in the line teacher-pupil, had occurred within the schools that are in rural areas and in smaller cities in the Republic of Macedonia.
* Sexual abuse and paedophilia:
In 2010 the number of cases with reported sexual violence against the children is rising again. Compared with 2009, in 2010, the number of these kind of cases has increased in 0.13%, i.e. this year we have 13 reported cases of sexual abuse and paedophilia. Among these cases, we have received reports on cases where Internet photographs with sexual contents were shown to children and youngsters.
The most frequent victims of paedophilia are the children age 7-13, where as the doer of the act, are most frequently connoisseurs or close friends of the victim.
*The complete record of the work of the SOS telephone line and the free legal service can be found at the web page of the Children’s Embassy Megjasi-www.childrensembassy.org.mk
Free legal service:
Depending on the type of problem that the callers are contacting us, in parallel with the SOS office, there is pro bono legal council that acts as per the written requests in front of the different state and social institutions, whenever needed.
During 2010, this legal council has acted upon 105 written request in front of the relevant institutions, and in all cases has requested protection of the children, their rights and interest.
Most of the written requests (total 44), were addressed in front of the Social Work Centres, and the others were in front of the Ombudsman, relevant Ministries, State educational inspectorate, the municipalities and other relevant entities.
We have always requested the relevant institutions to inform us on the measures and the activities that will be taken over on their side, so that we can follow the cases actively and react additionaly, if needed.
In this manner the Children’s Embassy Megjasi was monitoring the institutions, so that they make more efforts and react promptly in resolving the problems, all for the purpose of protecting the children.
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