Why is there a Week Against Child Abuse?
Child abuse is a complex and persistent problem. Approximately 3 percent of all children grow up in unsafe family situations. Together, we have an important responsibility to improve the safety of these children. The Week Against Child Abuse not only draws attention to the nature and scale of the problem, but above all to what we can do to strengthen the approach to child abuse.
We do this by learning from the personal stories of professionals, parents and children. By drawing inspiration from their experiences, learning from them and considering how we can make the best possible use of these insights, we work together to ensure that more and more children can grow up safely, healthily and with opportunities.
Despite numerous campaigns, interventions and available knowledge, the number of victims of child abuse remains too high. Nevertheless, our joint efforts are more than worthwhile, because we all agree that every child has the right to a safe home!
This year's theme is: ‘… closer than you think’
The theme ‘… closer than you think’ increases awareness that abuse can also take place close to home and that you may sometimes be closer to it than you think. It calls for self-reflection, opening your eyes and raising awareness.
‘… closer than you think’ can be interpreted differently by everyone, which makes it a theme that belongs to all of us: (education) professionals, organisations, parents, people with lived experience and everyone else. For example: ‘Help, closer than you think’, for victims, or ‘The solution, closer than you think’, for those around them. But also: ‘Support, closer than you think’, for perpetrators. Their behaviour often has an underlying cause, and it is important to offer them a helping hand as well to prevent further escalation.
More information about the Week can be found here.
Worried about a child?
Anyone who is worried about a child can ask for advice and report their concerns anonymously to Veilig Thuis (0800-2000, free of charge and available 24/7). Children and young people can also ask for advice from the Kindertelefoon (0800-0432 and via the chat, every day from 11:00 to 21:00).
For professionals, including those in education, the Reporting Code for Child Abuse and Domestic Violence is the guideline for dealing with suspected child abuse. The reporting code indicates when you should seek advice or report concerns to Veilig Thuis.
Also visit www.ikvermoedhuiselijkgeweld.nl
Child abuse in context
For many people, child abuse is something that seems far removed from their lives: an abstract concept. To provide context and make the subject understandable for parents, carers, bystanders and professionals, we share stories from people with lived experience on the story page, both to read and to listen to.
Who organises the Week?
The Week began in 2013 at the initiative of the Taskforce on Child Abuse and Sexual Abuse, initially under the name Week of Safe Children. After the Taskforce ended its work in 2016, the ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and Justice and Security (JenV) asked the Netherlands Youth Institute (NJi) and Movisie to take responsibility for organising the Week.