According to the research results of the Institute for mental health, 20 percent of children ages 9 to 18 meet the criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder. Other data are also alarming and point to a crisis that threatens an entire generation.
The Center for Children's Rights held a conference "Improving children's mental health and protection from violence", and the main message is - to children and young people need more accessible and effective mental health support that will be constantly available to them. The child must be at the center of the support system. Not only as a user of services, but as an active participant whose voice is heard and respected.
Conference participants pointed out the importance of prevention and early intervention, as well as the need for stronger intersectoral cooperation.
"Experience has shown us that Serbia has the knowledge, experts, institutions and good practices on which we can build a better system of support for children. It is important, however, that support is available before the problem turns into a crisis and that schools, families, health and social services and local communities are better connected. It is especially important that we listen to children and that they trust that they will be heard," said the director of the Center for Children's Rights, Jelena Paunović.
Photo: Center for Children's RightsConference "Improving children's mental health and protection from violence"
Investing in children as the best direction
Data on the mental health of young people in Serbia do not deviate significantly from the global level, but they are worrying.
"The maturity of a society is measured by how it treats the most vulnerable. Investing in children is one of the safest investments a society can make, and Serbia should focus even more strongly in that direction," said the representative of the European Union Delegation in Serbia, Maja Vučković Krčmar.
The voice of children and young people was equally represented at the conference, through an open conversation with experts and representatives of schools, health and social institutions and civil society organizations about what they need for better and more accessible support.
The members of the DX Children's Club at the Center for Children's Rights pointed out that their generation needs more opportunities to talk and more specific information on who to turn to for help.
They especially pointed out the importance of peer educators, because Deca they often open up more easily to their peers, as well as to the need for safe and reliable support they trust.
"Young people have the right to mental health, and adults have the responsibility and duty to provide them with that right. The real prevention of violence and mental health care begins in the development period, but at the same time there is a large deficit of support for children and young people all over the world. The prevention model must be based on a complex support system in which, apart from experts and institutions, the media, parents and every adult in the child's environment play an important role," said psychiatrist at the Institute for Mental Health Marija Mitković Vončina.
Photo: Center for Children's RightsConference "Improving children's mental health and protection from violence"
The child at the center of the support system
Representatives of multi-sectoral teams from Šabac, Zrenjanin, Raška and Zaječar also presented their experiences and solutions developed within the project "Promoting the well-being of children in protection from violence".
They have shown in practice that the cooperation of different sectors brings concrete results.
In Šabac, for example, the importance of school cooperation with other institutions and timely response was particularly demonstrated, while in Zrenjanin the experience gained through the project was incorporated into the City's plans, including the development of the Counseling Center for the city and family.
Representatives of the local teams emphasized, however, that long-term support for children cannot be based on the enthusiasm of individuals and must be available even after the projects are finished.
At the conference, the Roadmap for improving support for children was presented, as a proposal of the Center for Children's Rights and a platform for further dialogue on how to better connect existing resources and good practices and bring prevention, early intervention and support to children closer to where they live, learn and grow up.
The project "Promoting the welfare of children in protection from violence" was supported by the Delegation of the European Union in the Republic of Serbia through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).
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