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XIth ISPCAN European Regional Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect
18-21 November
Lisbon, Portugal Supporting Prevention and Recovery from
Child Abuse and Neglect: Role of Professionals, Communities, and Families |
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     -------Advanced Skills Training  -------Program Overview -------Keynote Sessions -------Streams           KEY DATES: 1 September 2006: Abstract Submission Begins 15 January 2007: Online Registration Begins May Abstract Submission Deadline 31 August 2007: Early-Bird Registration Deadline |
Keynote Sessions and Speakers |
 Promoting The Recovery of Children and Parents Growing Up in a Climate of Violence and Adversity Recent research on factors which lead to negative effects on children’s and young people development emphasize the cumulative effects of biological, social and family stressors. Children may have the resilience to cope with one form of adversity; however, exposures to multiple stressors overwhelm coping capacities, and negate potential protectors. Therapeutic approaches as well as ensuring safety and stability need to address life-span traumatic and stressful factors. Developing successful approaches to single stressful events to include multiple issues is essential. It is necessary to develop a ‘professional narrative’ and to use individual, family and group approaches to help children and young people re-edit their experiences to aid their recovery. Traumatic symptoms need to be managed, and a healing narrative, developed. A number of evidence based approaches have been integrated into a staged approach, including the ‘In My Shoes’ approach to bring forth children and young people’s experiences, to witness them and transform them towards growth and reverse damaging effects. Arnon Bentovim   Kevin Browne, Ph.D.,C Psychol. (Forensic), (UK) The Overuse of Institutional Care for Young Children in Europe and Its Relation to Child Abandonment and International Adoption The paper will consider current practices in relation to the prevention of child abandonment and institutional care of young children. Strategies to reduce the number of abandoned and institutionalized young children will be recommended with particular emphasis on the development of community services for children and their families as a form of prevention. Specific initiatives to prevent infant abandonment in maternity units will be suggested and the necessity of family based provisions for children without parents will be highlighted. However, international adoption is not seen as a solution for children living in institutions. Indeed, the evidence shows that the promotion of international adoption actually exacerbates the problem of institutional care, which significantly harms the early development of children. Both countries who export and import hundreds of ‘social orphans’ are significantly more likely to have high numbers of ‘difficult to place’ children living in their own institutions compared to countries who limit or strictly control international adoptions. It has also been shown that only 96% of children living in institutions across Europe have at least one living parent. Hence, it will be demonstrated that international adoption is rarely in the best interests of children. Kevin Browne  Claire Brisset (France) Implementing the Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC): From a Document to an Instrument Until the publication of Janusz Korczak’s book entitled, “The Child’s Right to Respect”, the concept of children’s rights was largely unknown. The first official mention of children’s rights can be traced to the League of Nations’ Geneva Declaration of 1928, but it was the social revolution triggered by Korczak’s work since the beginning of the century that really led to the development of children’s rights. After children’s rights were grossly violated during the Second World War, Korczak’s concepts reappeared in the Declaration on the Rights of the Child adopted in 1959 by the United Nations, followed in 1989 by the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. This Convention has then served to raise awareness of the various forms of social injustice to children including child labor, child soldiers and the inequities of the judicial system. Nevertheless, countless children still die as a result of gross violence and brute force. Children also continue to be subjected to more insidious forms of violence such as verbal aggression, harassment, sexual abuse and scarcity of resources. Enormous efforts are still required to combat all forms of violence against children. Over the years, the CRC has evolved from a simple document into an effective instrument for furthering children’s rights. It is the responsibility of non-governmental organizations to use the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to influence international public opinion and to implement the CRC. Claire Brisset  Bragi Guðbrandsson (Iceland) Child Protection in Europe: the Impact of the UN CRC and International Collaboration on Policy and Practice During the last decade the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has increasingly affected perceptions and implementation of child protection in Europe. This is reflected socially and politically by increased awareness of children’s issues, as well as professionally in terms of prevention, intervention and the recovery from child abuse and neglect. Significant aspects of these processes have been furthered by state collaboration within the framework of international bodies such as the Council of Europe or by UNICEF and the diverse initiatives of the many NGOs working on children’s issues within Europe. On the national and local level the key messages of the UN CRC has widely affected the professional community in practical work as well as research. This keynote paper addresses some of the developments described above. Does this lead to a convergence of different child protection systems in Europe and more unified approach in service delivery? Or are the consequences in the opposite direction - a divergence of child protection work - as the individual needs and uniqueness of the child will to a larger degree be a point of departure in culturally divergent environments? Bragi Guðbrandsson (Brazil) (provisionally confirmed) The World Report on Violence against Children: the Way Forward The United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children has been a global effort to paint a detailed picture of the nature, extent and causes of violence against children, and to propose clear recommendations for action to prevent and respond to it. This is the first time that an attempt was made to document the reality of violence against children around the world, and to map out what is being done to stop it. Since 2003, many thousands of people have contributed to the study in consultations, working groups, thematic seminars and through questionnaires to UN member states. It was a very participatory process with the active involvement of an NGO Advisory Panel, experts and scientific organizations. Children and young people have been active at every level. The Independent Expert of the United Nations Secretary-General presented the Study to the third Committee of the General Assembly on 11 October 2006. In addition, a more elaborate publication, the World Report on Violence against Children, and child-friendly materials were launched. (All materials are available at www.violencestudy.org.) The Study proposes a set of recommendations on how to prevent and respond to violence against children. The launch of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children should not be perceived as the end of a process. It marked the beginning of the present phase: the follow-up to the Study, the implementation of the recommendations and coordinated action to prevent and respond to violence against children. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro  Carl Göran Svedin, M.D., Ph.D. (Sweden) Sexual Abuse, Sexual Exploitation and Use of Pornography: The Plague of Modern Society? The presentation will provide information about young people’s experiences of the sexual abuse, sexually abusive behaviour, sexual exploitation, and use of pornography based on a study of more than 20,000 young people within the Baltic Sea Region. Are we challenged with the consequences of a sexualized society? What can and ought to be done to reduce or prevent these effects? What do we offer child victims? Carl Göran Svedin |
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