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| Cover: Robert Fleischanderl |
Violence against children takes many forms: these are described by Carola Koppermann in her article "Violence against Children", which also deals with the consequences. It should go without saying that children must be brought up without any kind of violence whatsoever, but this is not always the case. Felicidad Marin (Venezuela) and Roseanne Mwangi (Kenya) report on their efforts to firmly anchor the concept of a violence-free upbringing in people’s minds within their sphere of work.
"ubuntu" is a southern African word which is used to describe the concept of careful cooperation, respect and human dignity. In their article, Julia Sparber and Walter Waltz Anyanwu make the connection between ubuntu values and bringing up children.
In the past year, SOS Children’s Villages adopted its official Child Protection Policy. The centrefold of this journal is a summary of the policy which we have designed in the form of a poster to be removed and displayed. The feature on page 16 has a very different way of tackling the issue: it describes the genesis of the SOS song "Here I am", a musical tribute to child protection and children’s rights.
By way of example we find out how the Child Protection Policy was implemented in the article entitled "First steps". It gives several of those involved in developing and implementing the policy the chance to have their say.
What should be done if abuse is suspected or has actually taken place in an SOS Children’s Village Facility? The Child Protection Policy has a categorical response to this: the article "If abuse takes place" explains the procedure.
If awareness of child protection is to become rooted in society effectively in the long term, collaboration with partners is imperative. Some examples of successful partnerships in the interests of children are described in the article "Achieving more together".
"Communicating with children" is the title of the article by Jessica Lenz, who believes that good communication is a prerequisite for the effective protection of children. Read on to find out what this entails and what we have to watch out for.
Also in this issue of Forum: a list of child helplines in many countries, an overview of the programme development section at the International Office of SOS-Kinderdorf International and, in the "Magazine" section, an article about the relevance of fairytales in youth work.