First partnership meeting in Palermo

The topic of the first meeting (11/2019) was to define the work processes, the schedule and the topics for the development of the products. In addition, everyone presented the respective situation in their countries. The project's work plan requires that the respective situation on site is presented as authentically and practically as possible by an external expert. This task was taken on by Angela Errore in Palermo (see the report below).

The most important result was to define the chapters for the learning platform. The principles of how the gamification method should be designed and implemented were also discussed.

The following chapters were set for the learning platform and for the gamification method:

  1. What is Child sexual abuse? The size of the phenomenon, statistics, definition 
  2. Victims: risk groups, factors, indicators, identification, process of disclosure 
  3. Offenders: identification, modus operandi, legal interventions 
  4. Reaction: how to react, how to talk to the child, where or who to refer 
  5. Prevention: Child Protection Policies, safety rules, boundaries, safe relations 
  6. Child Empowerment 

The meeting was hosted by CESIE

 

Photo: Partners of STOP! (Photo by CESIE)

 

Situation in Palermo  

 

Angela Errore, Officer Manager of the Ombudsperson for the Protection of Children and Adolescents in Palermo (photo, left, photo by CESIE) reported about the situation in Palermo: 

 

They offer in the field of preventing child mistreatment or abuse, and they especially support participation of children and monitoring of all children services in Palermo.

 

Network of paedophilia in Palermo

The Ombudsperson works in cooperation with the Municipality office, public services (as medical centres), social workers and the schools’ staff. Specialised services against abuse and maltreatment of children have been created after a dramatic event happened in Palermo in 1996. In fact, in that year in the Ballarò neighbour, a poor area in the city centre of Palermo, a network of paedophilia was discovered and it was involving more than 100 children with the complicity of their families.

 

126 children involved

The network of abusers recorded and shared all the abuses in VHS. This fact led to the creation of the GOIAM group (acronym for Inter-institutional Operative Groups against Abuse and Mistreatment) thanks to a Memorandum of Understanding and to a new law, the number 285, aimed to create a multidisciplinary team to improve the support and the monitoring not only of the child but also of his/her family though aggregation centres and a new concept of home educational service. Mrs Errore led the assessment of the social situation of all the 126 children involved.

 

After many years the group changed its name in EIAM (acronym for Inter-institutional Abuse and Mistreatment Equipe) since the shared methodology they started to use and the creation of an important network of reporting antennas; in every place attended by children attend like school, social centres, medical centres, paediatricians centres and similar, any person who suspect a possible risk or abuse, must report it immediately. EIAM aims not only at protecting the children but also working with the families of the abused child unless there is a crime involved or the parental responsibility is lifted. Recovery and reparation are sought where possible. 

 

Care of Children with mental and physical deficit
Moreover, in the last years the team highlighted the necessity of taking care of children with mental and physical deficit and of unaccompanied minors that can easily fall in the prostitution and human trafficking circle.
Prevention measures in Palermo are also awareness-raising campaigns and trainings for school practitioners. Ms Errore’s advice for the STOP project is to include in the platform a section about legislation of each country, obligations of civil servants to report and risk indicators of child sexual abuse.