The Government of the Azores intends to create a support agent to "monitor abused children throughout the necessary procedures by providing psychosocial support and avoiding double victimisation."
 
The announcement was made today by the Regional Director for Solidarity and Social Security on behalf of the President of the Government during the 1st Meeting of the Commission for the Protection of Children and Youth of Lagoa that focused on the theme: "Walk Safely."

This measure is part of the development of a regional strategy to prevent and combat the sexual abuse of children and youngsters which aims to "contribute to the early detection of abusive situations and establish procedures to be followed by the different departments and institutions in identifying such situations." the purpose of this measure is "to avoid successive victimisations of abused children," explained the Regional Director.

According to Natércia Gaspar, the work carried out in the Region concerning children and youngsters is guided by the principle of "ensuring the rights of children to a life without violence," which requires "the recognition of the role played by families as a fundamental pillar of society."

In this context, the government official stressed the plan to support families and children at risk that aims to "ensure the necessary conditions to avoid or minimise cycles of poverty and child exclusion," recalling the programme targeted at the Reduction of the Impact of Marital Violence on Children, which should be implemented soon.

Speaking about the importance of combating violence, Natércia Gaspar noted that the "exposure to violence can never be faced as a single act in the life of a child given the, sometimes severe, consequences in the long-term at a physical, emotional and psychological level that jeopardise the full development of its capacities as a result of the traumatic experiences in its health and learning ability.”