On 10th of March 2021 the Council of Europe project on Combating violence against children in the Republic of Moldova conducted the first online training on theory and practice in intervening in cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation for social assistants and other representatives of interagency teams. The training was delivered by the international consultant Kieran McGrath and national consultant Mariana Ianachevici. The training was attended by over 170 social workers, police officers and medical assistants of family doctors.
The purpose of the training sessions was to enhance the knowledge and capacities of social workers and other relevant frontline professionals in identification and intervening in cases of child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
The topics discussed during the event concerned theoretical considerations related to child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as practical considerations regarding the identification and management of child sexual abuse and exploitation cases.
In his welcoming remarks, William Massolin, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau underlined “the key role that social workers have in identifying child abuse, as they are largely familiar with the local people and their families, as well as living conditions, especially in rural areas. Therefore, they are the first to be able to observe and intervene in such cases. However, this does not diminish the significant role that other professionals - members of multidisciplinary teams - have in intervening in such cases”.
At the same time, Anastasia Gruzin, the Head of the Policies for the Protection of the Rights of the Child and Families with Children Department, Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection mentioned “Despite the fact that we have relevant legislation in place, professionals still encounter challenges in implementing it. I trust that this training will help professionals in better understanding of the child sexual abuse and exploitation signs and will improve their skills in prevention, detection and management of such cases in order to ensure prompt and effective intervention, as well as prevent revictimization of child victims”.
The activity falls within the immediate outcome 4 of the Combating violence against children in the Republic of Moldova project “Improved skills and know-how of professionals to respond to violence against children and promote child-friendly practices”.
The same training will be organised for other two groups of professionals on 24th and 29th of March 2021.