The project "SAFEGUARDING. Child safety in the church environment" — about the prevention of violence in the language of art in Kyiv

Khrystyna Shabat, head of the Center for the Dignity of the Child at UCU, shared: "We must talk with children about their personal boundaries, what to do if adults misbehave with them, who should report it," and adds: "The Church, as an organization that gives hope and has a great influence on society, should be one of the first to speak about it."

The "SAFEGUARDING" project unites experts on the protection of minors from the Catholic Church of six Eastern European countries: Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Hungary. Its components are the educational online course of the same name for clergy, consecrated persons and lay people and the exhibition "Recognize. React" for everyone.

Ulyana Krekhovets, artist, icon painter, head of art projects and programs of the development department of the Ukrainian Catholic University, was invited to illustrate the course. The artist created a sketch in the author's technique - a quick sketch without further corrections. The organizers chose the language of art as a universal way to convey the important meanings of the prevention of violence against minors. Project coordinator and co-author of the course "SAFEGUARDING. Child safety in the environment of the church" is Ivanka Rudakevich, head of projects and programs of the Church department of the Center for the Dignity of the Child at UCU.

Bishop Andrii Khimyak, assistant bishop, syncle of the clergy of the Kyiv Archdiocese of the UGCC, noted during the presentation: "Children should grow up safely and especially feel that way under the protection of the Church. So we conduct appropriate training for our clergy so that no harm can be done in any way, even carelessly."

Art installation "Recognize. React", which is a component of the project, is intended for the general public. The images for the course, transferred to white t-shirts: men's, women's and children's, symbolize a crowd of people with different experiences, sometimes complex. The title of the exhibition prompts reflection on how to recognize violence, how to take care of children's safety, how to teach them the ability to respond to danger in time, and how each of us can influence children to feel safer. And also about the role of the church in creating a safe environment for the growth of children.

As part of the presentation, the artist Ulyana Krekhovets gave the visitors an author's tour. Mystkina spoke about the symbolism of the images, the plots and peculiarities of the sketching technique, as well as the fact that the style of the illustrations is inspired by folk icons on glass.

Partners from abroad joined the presentation. In particular, the head of the office of the delegate of the Conference of Polish Bishops on the protection of minors and youth, Father Piotr Studnicki. He spoke about the formation of the system for the protection of minors in the Catholic Church of Poland and emphasized: "The first documents that we developed were about prevention. Because it is better to prevent the offense from happening, than to spend a lot of time and effort to correct it later. It is also important that every diocese and monastic order has a person responsible for protection against violence and that every person who works with children has the appropriate training."

Sister Agnieszka Yarkowska, co-author of the course, delegate for the prevention and protection of minors from violence in the vice-province of the Capuchin Sisters of Poland, former member of the Center for the Protection of Children in Kosice and the Episcopal Commission for the Protection of Children from Violence in Slovakia, pedagogue and expert in safeguarding shared: In Slovakia, working with victims of violence in order to provide them with the necessary assistance is a priority. But educational work is also important, and I hope that the Safeguarding course will be an important step towards the prevention of violence, as it contains a lot of necessary information on prevention and will be useful for all clergy, even for pastoral work with potential abusers.

Marta Dalgiewicz, co-author of the course, coordinator of internal and external communication projects of the Office of the Delegate of the Conference of Polish Bishops, emphasized the importance of joint efforts to prevent violence: "The efforts of not only priests are needed, but the involvement of all parishioners. And for each of us to ask ourselves the question - "am I doing enough for the safety of children." The course will be useful for all adults to understand how to act ahead of time and so that every parish understands what should be done for the safety of children."

Representatives of various Christian denominations were among those present.

Oleksandr Bokoch, the first deputy head of the office of the Union of Churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv and Kyiv region, the pastor of the church, shared his impressions of the project: "The church must meet the requirements of the time and act in anticipation of possible threats. So such a course is a good attempt to do that."

The course"SAFEGUARDING. Child safety in the environment of the church" can be completed by anyone for free on the UKU-online platform after registration

Reference:

The Center for the Dignity of the Child at UCU works to create a culture where the dignity of the child is an unconditional value and contributes to the formation of a safe environment for the child in the fields of education, medicine and the church.

The Center began its work in January 2021 at the Ukrainian Catholic University as a response to the request of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC and His Holiness Svyatoslav (Shevchuk) to create a center for training religious organizations and secular institutions in matters of protection of minors and vulnerable persons.

Ulyana Krekhovets, artist, icon painter, designer, art manager, head of projects and programs of the artistic direction of the development department of the Ukrainian Catholic University, author of the digital project "War. Sketches. The Sacredness of the Everyday".

Authors of the photo: Serhiy Sivyakov and father Dmytro Khopta