Every 27 hours in Cyprus, a child falls victim to sexual abuse, according to the Commissioner for the Rights of the Child, Despo Michaelidou.
She cited reports from the “Hope For Children” CRC Policy Centre, an International Humanitarian and Independent Institution based in Nicosia.
In a statement on the occasion of the European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Abuse, the commissioner said from January to June, 241 reports were filed.
It is equivalent to 83% of the cases reported during the whole of 2019.
The data was collected during a survey the centre had carried out on COVID measures’ effects on children.
According to the Commissioner, restrictive measures imposed to prevent the spread of the pandemic have reduced the safety net for children.
Michaelidou noted that during the coronavirus lockdowns, children could only reach out through impersonal online platforms.
“Children were covered with the veil of silence, trapped in the abusive environment, less likely to seek help”.
“In 2020, there were 324 reports of children falling victim of sexual abuse, and these are because these children dared to speak out, who did not keep the ‘secret’.
“The secret that the perpetrator persuades the victim to keep so as not to testify, especially when the abuse comes from a person the child knows, admires or loves,” said Michaelidou.
She said November 18 European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Abuse should be “the beginning of a collective effort to declare zero tolerance towards child sexual abuse”.
“For this day to obtain meaning, everyone must do their part in revealing and reporting cases that come to their attention by informing and empowering children to recognize abusive behaviours and come forward.
“For the day not to remain empty of meaning, it requires our vigilance, the recognition of our obligations: to reveal and report every case that comes to our knowledge, to inform the children properly and to empower them so that they can recognize harmful behaviours and gestures and be encouraged to speak up and report such phenomena.
“Coordinated actions by the competent authorities and state services to safeguard the best interests of the child, both preventively and at all stages of the process are necessary”.
“Coordinated actions by the competent authorities and state services are primarily necessary to safeguard the best interests of the child, both preventively and at all stages of the process.”
Michaelidou called for the investigation of complaints, speedy trials, support of the victim and their family, and immediate introduction of inclusive sex education at all school levels.
