Drohobych Seminary Held Training on Prevention of Violence Against Children

“It is important to talk about creating a safe environment for children with future pastors and those who already work in camps with young people,” said Ivanka Rudakevych, project and program manager of the UCU Center for Child Dignity, while studying at the Drohobych Theological Seminary of the Blessed Martyrs Severin, Vitaliy, and Yakym of the Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy of the UGCC.

Hieromonk-psychologist Sava Masnyk and Ivanka Rudakevych spoke about the types of violence, the main documents that guide the church in protecting minors, and the mechanism for responding to cases of sexual abuse that occurred in the church.

The seminarians learned how to talk to a victim, received basic guidelines for conducting such conversations, algorithms for action after a disclosure, learned about the preliminary church investigation, and contacts of assistance services to refer victims.

We are grateful to the seminary leadership for organizing and being open to important training, for their cooperation, and to the participants for the lively discussions. It was a good meeting.

We offer training opportunities for parishes, as well as resources - materials for use in your work. If you are a victim, a witness to violence, or if your loved ones need help, here are the contacts you can contact.