maryam ehsani international child safeguarding, child ...€¦ · maryam ehsani international child...
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Supporting Faith leaders to become Child Protection ChampionsMaryam Ehsani
International Child Safeguarding, Child Protection
Objectives
• The role and responsibility of faith leaders in our communities
• The adaptation of the child safeguarding frameworks into faith setting
• Strategies for faith leaders to help create a safe environment for children
• Challenges going forward
• What next?
Where does child abuse take place?
“Children can be abused in any environmentgiven a certain set of circumstances. It would be naive to assume that child abuse could not happen within our faith communities!”(The Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, 2006)
Faith-leaders’ roles in our communities
To promote protection, justice and fairness
To support healthy development of children and youth
To cultivate the faith message and create a safe environment for children
To share good child protection practices with parents and guardians
To acknowledge child protection as a key element in their message
To increase accountability and transparency and encourage child rights legislations
Set Clear and transparent policies and procedures
Partnership with government and policy makers to discuss the overall role and responsibilities
Set up a child protection committee with a designated child protection officer
Assess the national laws to support the child protection initiative
Educate children about their rights and give them a voice in their communities
Promote open dialogue and encourage the duty to report any child welfare concern
Share child protection commitments with staff, parents and children
How to adapt international
frameworks in faith settings
Child protection and faith can work together to protect children
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/safeguarding/safeguarding-faith-communities/
Faith leaders can become child protection champions by advocating good educational and parental practices
Child protection must be a key consideration in all faith settings
In 2014 - The Vatican announced the creation of a new dedicated group to help the Church deal with the abuse crisis
In April 2017, the Harrow Islamic center provided training and workshop to all of all their staff at the Mosque and Madrassah leaders
Challenges
• Child abuse is seen as a taboo
• Shame, stigma and silent culture
• Resistance to change
• Diversity around faith communities
• Funding
• Lack of knowledge in specific areas and reporting mechanisms
Supporting faith leaders to become child protection champions
To create a child protection system that overcomes
taboos around child abuse subject
Emphasising the connectionof child protection and faith
They can interpret child protection standards to best fit in the language of faith
Advocating for the elimination of the bad
cultural behaviours against children
Sharing the message that child protection is not a new concept and rather it’s a key
element of healthy development of children
Using different media and their community
involvement to share the message
What do the faith leaders need to do?
Create awareness
Set response measures to
allegation of child abuse
Promote guidance on developing child
protection frameworks in faith communities
Follow procedures for
safe recruitment
“It is a grave sin for one to neglect a person whom he is responsible for sustaining.” –
Muslim hadith referring to the life and health of the child
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” _Christianity Ephesians 6:1 and 4
Conclusion- Moving Forward
Asses risks and mitigating factors
01Promote policies and guidelines internally and externally
02Build knowledge for families and the wider community
03Appoint a child protection officer to lead the initiative
04Encourage communities to report concerns
05Increase child participation in the process
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