The traditional Children's Week, organised every first week in October by the association of friends of children of Slovenia (ZPMS), kicked off Monday under the title "Healthy Child in a Healthy Family". This year the topic of the week, closely connected with the topic of the 13th Children's Parliament session, is the struggle against violence against children by adults and by their peers.
ZPMS in its communication warned that children are the most vulnerable part of the society. The association appeals to the competent authorities to do everything to protect the children from all forms of physical or psychological violence, neglect, abuse, torture and exploitation, ZPMS representatives said at today's press conference.

Slovenia's representative at the Children's Parliament of the World Anzej Dezan read the communication by the children's state, which expressed that children have to be assured free and autonomous way of expressing opinion at home as well as in school and society at large. Children need to have the possibility to take an active role in decision making.

According to Health Minister Dusan Keber, the sponsor of this Children's Week, abuse, torture and neglect are serious public health problems. It is important to help children trust their parents, teachers, doctors and others, as many children do not tell their problems to anyone, because they have no one to confide in, Keber added.

According to estimates, the competent authorities deal with 3,000 to 3,500 cases of child abuse yearly. Of these some 60 percent were physical and sexual abuse, the rest were neglect and maltreatment. While this number incorporates only reported cases, the question of unreported cases remains a burning issue, ZPMS pointed out.

ZPMS, which was established in 1953, is a non-governmental, voluntary, humanitarian and non-profit organisation. Its main objective is to improve the quality of life of children, adolescents and families, to represent and assert their interests and needs, as well as protect their rights.

According to 1999 data the leading family problems in Slovenia are alcohol and drug abuse, destroying 42.5 percent of all families. Other problems included torn relations, illness, unemployment and financial problems, educational ignorance and behaviour problems of children. As the leading Slovenian legal expert on violence against children Katja Filipcic pointed out in her work "Domestic Violence" these types of violence has not been well-known and has only recently been condemned by the society.

Under Slovenian legislation children are protected from all criminal acts, same as adults. They are also specially protected from certain acts threatening their specific rights and interests (e.g. sexual assault on a person under 15 years of age, neglect of a minor and abuse).

All European countries face the growing problem of aging population and decreasing birth rate. Slovenia with 1.2 children per family is at the bottom of the birth rate list. The number of live births has shrunk from 22,368 in 1990 to 18,180 in 2000. There is an increase in number of children born out of wedlock, by 15 percent in 1980-1985 period to over a third of all children born in 2000.

As part of the struggle to help prevent children abuse and mistreatment, the Slovenian Ombudsman's Office opened its doors to 50 children and teenagers from 25 schools today. The children learned about the work of the Ombudsman Matjaz Hanzek, while the objective of the presentation was to bring the Ombudsman's Office closer to children.

The Office would like to learn how children see their own problems and what they expect the Office to do about them. Another focus will be teaching children about their rights and what to do if these are violated.

Elementary schools and schools for children with special needs were invited to take part in the project because the Office feels that children and teenagers should be well aware of their rights. The representatives also hope that children will give the Office the necessary feedback on what they want from it.

This was the second time that the Ombudsman's Office has prepared such a meeting. The event is supposed to become annual.

SURCE: Slovenian Press Agency, 7. 10. 2002