Regional Government hosts conference with Director of UNICEF on children’s rights - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social

The Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security, through the Azores Commissioner's Office for Childhood (CAI), will organise the conference “Protecting Children’s Rights in Europe’s Outermost Regions” at the Vila Franca do Campo Cultural Centre on April 14 at 10 a.m. It will be delivered by the Executive Director of UNICEF Portugal, Beatriz Imperatori.

The initiative is part of a ceremony marking International Child Abuse Prevention Month, intending to raise public awareness of the promotion and protection of children’s rights, with a particular focus on the specific challenges faced by outermost regions in the area of childhood. 

The opening session will be chaired by the Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, and will also feature speeches by the President of the CAI and the Mayor of Vila Franca do Campo.

The ceremony will end with the screening of a video featuring drawings on children’s rights, created by children from the region as part of a collaboration with all the Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ).

The event is open to the public.

Throughout April, also known as Blue Ribbon Month, CAI will continue to support this period dedicated to raising public awareness of the need to protect children and young people from all forms of violence and abuse.

The planned initiatives include a training session on parenting strategies to prevent risk behaviours, specifically regarding the use of screens and technology. It will be promoted by the “Haja Saúde” project run by the Casa do Povo de Santa Bárbara, in partnership with CAI and the Regional Directorate for the Prevention and Control of Dependencies.

Meanwhile, efforts will continue to promote the Children’s Rights Anthem and the Good Treatment Calendar among the CPCJ commissions, key organisations and the media. There will also be a call to action to light up public spaces in blue and display blue ribbons on building facades as a symbol of commitment to protecting children.