Alarmantni porast nasilja nad djecom, posebno seksualnog zlostavljanja: "Mjere uvedene da bi ih se zaštitilo dovele su do toga da su djeca ostala zatvorena sa zlostavljačima"
Pandemija, lockdown i potres razlozi su narušenog mentalnog zdravlja djece i mladih. Više donosi reporter Dnevnika Nove TV Ivan Čorkalo.dnevnik.hr
Alarming rise in violence against children, especially sexual abuse: "Measures introduced to protect them have left children imprisoned with abusers"
The pandemic did its thing. Violence against children is on the rise this year, especially sexual abuse.
'' The increase is more than 60 percent. We see this in everyday clinical practice. There was a pandemic paradox. Measures introduced to protect children have led to children being imprisoned with abusers, "said Gordana Buljan Flander of the Child Protection Clinic.
Why the increase this year and not last? '' When there was the strictest lockdown, the children had no one to call because they were locked up with the abusers . There was no school, there was no training, there were no institutions that could recognize that and to which children could complain ", explains Buljan Flander.
Increase in autoaggression
Child psychiatrists notice an increase in self-aggression and self-harm by about 30 percent.
"We have seen that the most risky are those aged 13 to 16. In addition to having forms of injury with sharp objects, they often resort to psychoactive substances. According to this year's research, anxiety, depression, stress, sleep problems are the most common problems reported by children and young people, and are a direct consequence of the pandemic '', reveals the head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry KBC Osijek Katarina Dodig Curkovic .
Alarming condition and lack of experts
'' Is it alarming? It is absolutely alarming , it absolutely needs to act now. This may now be the time, if we are not late, to do protection '', says the children's ombudswoman Helenca Pirnat Dragičević .
The problem is the lack of psychologists and pedagogues . After the Zagreb and Petrinja earthquakes, mobile teams were barely formed.
"Mobile teams are a good example of how they can be more mobile, operational and efficient in the future when it comes to providing professional assistance in schools," said Tomislav Paljak , State Secretary at the Ministry of Science and Education.
There are also toll-free phone numbers for emergencies, but when that happens, it’s often too late. And the situation, experts conclude, is critical.
Mehr Gewalt gegen Kinder im Lockdown
Viele haben davor gewarnt, jetzt ist es Gewissheit: In der Pandemie wurden deutlich mehr Gewalttaten gegen Kinder erfasst. Die Dunkelziffer ist wahrscheinlich sehr hoch.www1.wdr.de
More violence against children in lockdown
Many have warned of this, but now it is certain: significantly more acts of violence against children were recorded in the pandemic. The number of unreported cases is probably very high.
"It is an exceptional situation for families," says Holger Münch, President of the Federal Criminal Police Office, about the corona lockdown. "The confinement, existential fears, family tensions can contribute to the fact that violence discharges more strongly." The number of crimes against children and young people is increasing significantly - this is shown by the police crime statistics for 2020.
A quarter in NRW - the number of unreported cases is high
Around 17,000 cases of sexual violence against children were registered across Germany last year - around a quarter of them in North Rhine-Westphalia. That is an increase of 6 percent compared to 2019. The BKA cannot prove that Corona is responsible for the increasing numbers - the cases are often cleared up and reported with a delay. But the connection is plausible.
Education is also made more difficult by Corona: If children do not go to school, not to the sports club or to music lessons, abuse is often noticed later. Nobody notices bruises, nobody pays attention when the children talk about their experiences at home. The number of unreported cases is likely to be correspondingly high.
Lots of crime on the net: 50 percent more
Crimes that are committed digitally are also particularly worrying for the investigators: children are written to and harassed by perpetrators over the Internet. The number of crimes involving child pornography increased by more than 50 percent compared to 2019.
BKA President Münch, however, has to consider: Improved education methods also lead to the numbers. As an example, he cites the numerous investigations into abuse networks in North Rhine-Westphalia: "The authorities reached more and more suspects, and that has expanded like a cascade."
Münch expects the number of cases to continue to rise in the future - for example, if operators of social media also have to forward suspicious material to investigative authorities from February 2022.
Better prevention and education
State Secretary Stephan Mayer (CSU) from the Interior Ministry said in advance that there were enough funds in the fight against sexual violence against children. But they would have to be used effectively, for example in prevention. Children and adolescents should also be better informed about the consequences of posting nude photos of themselves and others online.
