EN_Report_2002-067_GR-paedofphilia
The research was conducted within the framework of the Daphne programme “social shield for the protection of children against paedofphilia, sexual exploitation and abductions” (2003-2004), during October, November, December 2003, to a sample of 412 children between 8 and 15 years of age, in Athens and Thessalia.
Summary
This 1-year project aims to prove that Greek authorities do not enforce the laws for the protection of children & young persons against paedophilia, sexual exploitation and abductions. Through legal research, contact with these authorities & local/immigrant NGOs for the protection of children, the expansion of analyses on the impact of sexual violence on children, and the awareness rising of the broad public by a wide information campaign, the project will create a social shield for the better protection of victims. The cooperation of partners from 4 EU states and 2 main countries of origin of the victims ensures European value, and the dissemination campaign (eg. website) provides a solid basis for other EU countries to benefit form the experience & expand the project in their respective countries.
The project is addressed to the following specific problems
The number of cases of trafficking in children & young persons, paedophilia and child abductions, originating mostly from the former East, are constantly rising. Greece, apart from being a country where children and young persons form Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo, Romania, etc. often wind up for sexual purposes, is also a country facing domestic sexual abuse of children by minority populations (e.g. Gypsies, Muslims). The crucial point in this widely accepted truth is the fact that Greece, despite having signed international & European agreements, it appears not to enforce Community & national laws, hence protecting potential & actual victims ineffectively. The situation of the victims is further aggravated by the fact that there is insufficient information regarding prevention & self-help. What's more, it is difficult to map, monitor & denounce the phenomenon, as sexual abuse is considered a taboo, especially when it comes to paedophilia, trafficking of children and abductions for sexual purposes. In the analysis and confrontation of the problem, inputs from partners that come form the victims' home country (eg Albania, Bulgaria) or from countries that are at the stage of entry in the EU (eg Turkey), are of major importance.
The specific objective of the project
1)To research, demonstrate & tackle the non-enforcement of the relevant Community and national laws in Greece 2)Based on previous analyses, to further research & raise public awareness on the victims' psychological & emotional traumas and hence to create a network for restraining the phenomenon.
Background and preparation of the project
After the reporting of abductions by Albanian authorities, women NGOs in the Balkans & the EU have been meeting for over a year, for the preparation of a solid action plan against the sexual abuse of children, with the participation of expert scientists & the "Support Centre for Children & Families"(S.E.A. partner).
Beneficiaries
Male/female children & young persons in Greece, aged between 8-16, who are, or are thought to be, victims of sexual violence, paedophilia and abductions, usually belonging to immigrated or minority families, e.g. certain Gypsy and/or Muslim children forced to prostitution by their parents. The project shall focus directly on approximately 300 children & young persons, mainly located in the following areas: Athens (200), for being the biggest Greek city and home to most of the cases of sexual violence; Ileia prefecture (50), for being home to a numerous immigrant community; and Kilkis prefecture (50), for being a prefecture on the Greek borderline, serving therefore as a passage for illegal trafficking. Indirectly, a much higher number of beneficiaries shall take advantage of the project, as, for example, an awareness raising campaigns will be conducted in schools; in any case, the whole project aims to control the problem of sexual abuse against children, thus its results will make children & young persons in general better off.
Target groups
NGOs dealing with chirdren's issues, to lobby against the non-enforcement of national & Community laws and international tre-aties for the protection of victims; Ministries, public autho-rities, local governments/ municipalities, police departments, judicial authorities, to remind them of their legal and social duty towards the protection of the victims; Schools; Hospitals and/or Centres designated for treating the victims; Legal & illegal immigrant & minority families, as they are a high risk group to experience such a phenomenon; Impoverished social groups, to prevent them from forcing their children to prostitu-tion as a means of raising money; Immigrant organisations, to make them aware of the dangers and the effective protection of their children; Organisations of immigrants & public authorities in the former East, as most of the victims originate from these countries; Women's organisations, to further spread the infor-mation through their networks; the Press, for exercising pres-sure on public authorities to enforce the laws, and for aware-ness raising; the broad public, for sensitisation and awareness raising on the problem.