In Romania, physical abuse against children takes place mainly in classrooms, corridors, schoolyards, or locker rooms, a UNICEF report showed in 2016. In urban areas, 28% of students are afraid to go to school because of the violence they could face directly, or indirectly as a witness.
The overall aim of the REVIS project, coordinated by Terre des hommes Hungary, is to prevent, combat, and respond to violence among children by transforming social and gender norms and behaviors; to create opportunities for children to challenge social and gender norms that lead to peer violence; and to develop solutions to their problems.
The objectives are:
- with the help of 80 trained facilitators and 8 trainers, develop a program in 4 countries, based on the results of qualitative research on social and gender norms that contributes to violence against children;
- work with 1600 children, young people, and teachers on activities, campaigns, and programs that prevent and reduce peer violence in schools and their surroundings and in other educational settings (such as after-school programs).
The 8 trainers will train teachers in communities and will also work with children in activities, campaign,s and programs to prevent and reduce peer violence in schools and other educational institutions (such as after-school programs). In Romania, 20 facilitators will be trained and will work with 400 children in communities in Dolj.
The project is based on the results of qualitative research on social and gender norms that contribute to violence against children. In 2020, the Child Protection Hub launched a regional research initiative in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, and Serbia. The research methodology, developed by the International Institute for the Rights and Development of the Child, involved children and explored the forms of violence they experience in and around school, its prevalence, and the social norms that influence it.
The project is funded by the European Union through the Justice (JUST) Program Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC), and will be implemented in the next two years (2021–2023) in four countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia, and is coordinated by Terre des hommes Hungary (general coordinator of the project). In the four countries, the project is implemented by national partner organizations, including the Institute of Social Activities and Practices (SAPI, Bulgaria), Brave Phone (Croatia), Terre des hommes Romania, and the Center for Youth Integration (CIM, Serbia).
The REVIS project thus brings together five organizations with experience in child protection in South-Eastern Europe. They have extensive experience in promoting progressive principles in reducing violence against children, strengthening capacity and knowledge among childcare professionals, and in empowering children to be an integral part of the debate and to participate in tackling harmful practices.
The REVIS project is co-financed from the “Rights, Equality and Citizenship” (2014–2020) Programme of the European Union.