Pre-school psychologists in Rivne trained to prevent violence against children

The project "Safeguarding. Child Safety in the Educational Environment" project aims to create a safe environment for children in educational institutions: measures to prevent violence, mechanisms for recognition and effective response.

During the webinar, Valentyna Havryshko, head of projects and programs at the UCU Center for Child Dignity, spoke about the importance of preventing violence against minors, talking and explaining to children the rules of personal safety, discussing with them the need to follow the rules, about adults to whom they can report danger, and learning about it in an interactive form accessible to children. She also presented methodological developments from the Center for the Dignity of the Child, presented psychologists with a manual of safety instructions, and spoke about the peculiarities of conducting classes on combating violence with children aged 4-6.

UCU's Center for the Dignity of the Child has developed "Briefings for the Safety of Children at School," which explains the basic safety rules that children need to know to protect themselves from violence. The manual contains interactive lessons for children aged 4 to 18 that explain what safe and unsafe touching is, how to defend personal boundaries, say no to things a child does not like, who are safe adults, where and whom to turn to if personal boundaries are violated, what bullying and cyberbullying are, and how to counteract it. The briefings include appendices that will help explain important topics in a visual way.

The best tactic to overcome violence is prevention. With the right knowledge, a child understands how to act, whom to contact, and how to take care of their own safety.