Cyprus reports arson and robberies involving children in care — Cyprus Mail
In Cyprus, police reported arson, robberies and other serious offences involving children in state care. The issue was considered on Monday by the parliamentary human rights committee, where overcrowding in facilities, staff shortages and gaps in specialised support were also discussed, Cyprus Mail reports.
Committee expects explanations from services
The committee had previously given the responsible authorities one month to explain what measures they would take to resolve problems in facilities for children under state protection. The committee’s chair, AKEL MP Christos Christofides, criticised services that had not answered questions raised at the previous meeting.
According to him, the committee will reconvene before the end of the year to assess progress. He also intends to secure a meeting with children in state care in order to hear directly about their experiences.
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Specialised support for children
A police representative said at the meeting that a study on offences among minors had been prepared. At the same time, these incidents are recorded as criminal activity rather than delinquent behaviour, as they involve arson, robberies and other serious offences.
Maria Kiratzi, director of the Social Welfare Services, said that specialised multidisciplinary support for teenagers and children in protection facilities is being developed. The meeting also discussed a proposal by Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Tina Pavlou to establish secure therapeutic facilities for children with more complex needs. Kiratzi noted that discussions on a mechanism for implementing this initiative had already begun.
Participants in the meeting spoke in favour of smaller family-type facilities, which, in their view, could provide children with a better quality of life. The Ministry of Health is also creating a working group to improve information-sharing among services and create a single digital record for each child. The acute shortage of staff in mental health services was raised separately.
