Urgent need to establish an integrated framework of child friendly justice in Greece

PRESS RELEASE

Athens, 2 December 2019

Urgent need to establish an integrated framework of child friendly justice in Greece

A series of educational seminars targeted at law enforcement professionals, prosecutors, judicial servants, as well as other professionals active in the field of child protection are being organized across Greece by ‘The Smile of the Child’ with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece.

The goal of this initiative is to promote the need to establish an integrated system of child friendly justice in the country. Chris Newlin, Executive Director of the US-based National Child Advocacy Center (NCAC) is the main speaker, invited by ‘The Smile of the Child’ in Greece for this purpose. Chris Newlin is one of the top experts worldwide in this area.

The opening event was held on the 2nd of December in Athens in the presence of the Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Transparency, Mr. Konstantinos Tsiaras, the Deputy Chief of the Hellenic Police, Lieutenant General Mr. Andreas Daskalakis, representing the Deputy Minister of Citizen’s  Protection, Mr. Eleftherios Economou. Representatives of the US Embassy in Athens, Greece were also present to the event.  

“Child friendly justice is an entire mechanism that works in many countries of Europe and the world. The issue in Greece is the establishment of such a mechanism that will ensure that a child who has been abused will not be victimized again by the competent state services and authorities. We therefore call for the utilization of the ‘The House of the Child’, a multidisciplinary structure, unique in the country, and we call for its operation in the way it should work for the benefit of children”, said the President of the BoD of “The Smile of the Child”, Mr. Costas Yannopoulos.

On his part, the Minister of Justice highlighted that "despite delays in the implementation of a previous law, the effort currently being made by the Ministry is to create a new reality, guaranteeing the rights of children in the area of justice and creating terms and conditions that reflect a European reality", whereas the Deputy Chief of the Hellenic Police stressed that the Ministry of Citizen’s Protection stands next to this initiative of “The Smile of the Child” as it is vital to ensure friendly justice for all children, either victims or victimizers.

During the seminars ‘The House of the Child’ was presented, a structure that was inaugurated by "The Smile of the Child" in 2014 with the goal to provide individualized mental health services to children and adolescents, victims of any form of violence.

Based on the French and US model of Child Advocacy Centers, “The Smile of the Child” established the ‘Salle Mélanie’ facility. The facility was set at the disposal of the Greek state in order to ensure child friendly justice for victims through a unique testimony from victimized children. However, despite this effort the Greek state has not yet utilized ‘Salle Mélanie’, the first facility of its kind in the country.

Chris Newlin, Executive Director of the National Child Advocacy Center (NCAC), introduced to the participants coming from prosecutorial authorities and law enforcement, as well as professionals in the field of child protection, the operation of the US-based National Child Advocacy Center and its multidisciplinary model, successfully implemented for more than 35 years in the United States of America.  

During the event Dr. George Nikolaidis, Psychiatrist, Scientific Responsible of the ‘House of the Child’ Day Center of “The Smile of the Child” and Chairperson of the Lanzarote Committee of the Council of Europe, analyzed the child protection system in Greece and highlighted the need to restructure the existing system on the basis of a multidisciplinary cooperation among all actors and agencies that will ensure that the secondary victimization of children is avoided.

Similar educational seminars will be organized by “The Smile of the Child” in Thessaloniki, Heiraklion and Patras on the 3rd, the 4th and the 6th of December, respectively.

“The Smile of the Child” would like to warmly thank the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece for its support to this initiative.

“The Smile of the Child” would also like to warmly thank the following companies and actors:

• OTEAcademy
• ALDIGRON DESIGN & PRINTING
• ACM TRANSLATIONS
• Coneq Hellas
• ΤΙΤΑΝΙΑ HOTEL ATHENS

For more information, please contact the press team of “The Smile of the Child” at press@hamogelo.gr or at +210 3306 140.