President of the National Commission for the Protection of Children warns of the difficulty of identifying cases of abuse

Child abuse is often invisible and difficult to detect, warned the president of the National Commission for the Protection of Children, according to which they justify the need for commissions to monitor about 70,000 children annually.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, as in 1989 an American woman tied a blue ribbon to her car’s aerial in honor of her grandson who was a fatal victim of child abuse, choosing that color as the symbol of the color of defeat.

The President of the National Commission for the Promotion of the Rights and Protection of Children and Youth (CNPDPCJ) “never hurts to point out that the protection of children is everyone’s responsibility.”

“As adults, we all have a huge responsibility to be considerate of the children around us and be able to properly protect them. It seems that many years have passed and this is no longer necessary, but unfortunately we still need to have these moments draw attention to the prevention of childhood abuse,” Rosaria defended the farm.

According to the person in charge, this is a reality “often invisible” and of which it is difficult to pick up signs.

“Many years have passed, but the truth is that in many countries, despite the observance of this international month for the prevention of child abuse, we still have children who are victims of abuse invisibly,” he said.

Each year, the Commissions for the Protection of Children and Youth (CPCJ) supervise about 70,000 children and receive more than 40,000 danger reports, with the most common typologies related to negligence, according to Rosaria Farmhouse.

He explained that situations of lack of care, indifference to the growth of the child, lack of minimum conditions for holistic and safe growth, such as cases of domestic violence or early school dropouts, could be at stake.

On the other hand, he mentioned that there are also dangerous behaviors in childhood and adolescence where they themselves engage in dangerous behavior and parents or caregivers cannot stop, such as “bullying”, drug, alcohol or addiction use. a game.

According to the president of the CNPDPCJ, these are the typologies that occur most frequently, highlighting that risky behavior in childhood and adolescence “still has a very broad expression” and tends to start earlier and earlier, with cases already being seen in children as young as 11 years of age. . years.

He mentioned that gaming addiction “has also increased slightly” and warned about screen addiction, pointing out that in the absence of parental supervision, children can endanger themselves even while indoors, becoming vulnerable to dangers such as “sexting” or “cyberbullying”. “.

Rosaria Farmhouse pointed out that child abuse is widespread in society and that “they are present in all social classes”, emphasizing that in more privileged socioeconomic classes, cases “often become more subtle because they have ways to better hide it and “those around you are not so considerate.”

“In this sense, this April campaign is very [uma] paying attention to combating indifference to others and making sure that whoever reports dangerous situations is doing so for the good of the child, and not against anyone,” he defended.

He emphasized that timely action and adequate intervention are the only models that work in the fight against child abuse, and that, consequently, all “few follow this path of prevention.”

Rosário Farmhouse emphasized that on the 28th, to complete the celebration of the month, a blue ribbon will be built in Terreiro do Paço, in Lisbon, as in other parts of the country, with the help of 1,500 children.

Child Abuse Prevention Month was marked by 300 CPCJs scattered across the country, in association with the National Commission, with numerous initiatives ranging from workshops, walks, music or poetry competitions, to emblematic buildings that light up in every county. blue.