programme response

UNICEF has been working in Belarus since 1997. Our current activities in child protection aim to build a protective environment for all children–no exceptions. A protective environment includes all the necessary supportive elements within the family environment, community and society in which the child lives, or specific elements of the governance system that guide basic social services and the conduct of professionals in contact with children. Preventing and protecting children from abuse, exploitation and neglect is a global priority for UNICEF. Our actions are guided by the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The UNICEF Child Protection Programme is implemented in collaboration with the national government and NGO partners at national and local levels.

decrease violence against children;
provide family and community care for children without primary caregivers;
integrate child protection concerns into the national regulatory and legal
framework, so as to promote compliance with CRC and CEDAW.

As a result, children benefit from child-rights conscious policies and positive and well-informed public attitudes, and those in need of special protection will benefit from strengthened child protection mechanisms. Thus, creating an environment that respects and promotes child rights by raising child-related concerns at all levels of society, is a critical strategic priority. The Programme targets those groups of children whose especially difficult circumstances leave them particularly vulnerable: these include orphans and others deprived of parental care; children with disabilities; children in conflict with the law; and children living in Chernobyl-affected areas.

By specifically focusing on children in institutions, the Programme seeks to reduce the number of children in residential facilities and the number of children deprived of their liberty—and to ensure alternative quality care.

The family is a key focus of the programme. This appropriately recognizes that the family is the central institution for the care, development and socialization of children and young people in Belarus. This programme component is centred on strengthening the family and supporting children by reinforcing the capacity of local service providers, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to intervene and prevent family breakdowns and strengthening inter-agency collaboration at the local level. Successful interventions will reduce the risk of institutionalization or children leaving home for the street.

The strategy of UNICEF in Belarus has been to advocate for and develop new approaches to reduce the risk of children ending up in public care. The emphasis of UNICEF-supported programmes from 1998 to 2005 has been on bringing alternative forms of care to the agenda of social policy-makers at both the federal and regional levels.

Some positive developments have occurred over the past four years in Belarus. The traditional pattern of transferring children deprived of parental care from pre-school children’s homes to state care institutions for older children is gradually changing. The development of alternative community-based care has meant that the number of young children in pre-school children’s homes is decreasing and consequently fewer children are entering state care institutions for older children. In the majority of regions, the number of new cases of deprivation of parental rights has stabilized and some regions have decreasing rates. For example, in 2003 the number of cases in Vitebsk decreased by 30% and in Minsk by 44%. In addition, 58.6% of children deprived of parental care in 2003 and 62% in 2004 were placed in family-based alternatives as opposed to institutions. In 2003 the number of children placed with foster families increased by 50% over 2002 and doubled in 2004 over 2003.

The focus on social justice and restorative justice for children in conflict with the law calls for the development of measures which divert young offenders away from the formal juvenile justice system. This involves the improvement of national legislation in line with international standards, enhancement of national partners' institutional capacity, and the development and delivery of effective preventive and rehabilitation programmes for families and children.

In 2003, UNICEF supported the development of Juvenile Justice Policy Guidelines in Belarus. The policy paper reviews the situation of children and families, children already in conflict with the law and addresses those conditions which put children and families at risk in general. The paper outlines the importance of the rule of law, the priority of a preventive and restorative approach and the rejection of punitive treatment. In terms of social justice, increasing recognition is being given to appropriate and effective means of supporting young offenders and addressing the social injustices experienced by many children that leads to antisocial behaviour. The paper demonstrates a commitment to the enhancement of juvenile justice in line with international standards and provides a basis for the development of juvenile justice implementation mechanisms. The policy paper is under interministerial revision.

The national debate on the principles of juvenile justice within the broader context of an appropriate child protection system was underpinned by the results of the pilot project on the establishment of prevention and rehabilitation community models. The main achievements of the project included: 202 professionals were trained in implementing restorative programmes for children at risk; 344 minors in conflict with the law who were registered with the Ministry of Interior benefited from the implementation of restorative models; 288 minors in conflict with the law were involved in rehabilitation, psychosocial support or counselling activities. All children involved in restorative programmes demonstrated positive behaviour developments. None of them re-offended during the project implementation period in 2003.

UNICEF, together with national counterparts, undertakes efforts to review the national child protection legal and regulatory framework with the aim of strengthening the protection of children in difficult life situations and coordinating response to critical issues of children and families.

As a follow-up to the Special Session on Children, UNICEF supported national efforts in the implementation of the National Plan of Action on Improvement of the Situation of Children and Protection of their Rights for 2004-2010. The establishment of a Child Rights Ombudsperson Institute and a special inter-agency body to ensure coordination and interaction on child protection has been placed on the national agenda.

UNICEF also supports national counterparts in addressing the issues of children and adolescents with disabilities to ensure their rights to rehabilitation and social integration.

Participation of children in advocacy and awareness-raising around child rights remains an important strategy of UNICEF and our partners. School children are trained as child-rights peer educators to conduct child-rights peer education programmes at schools within the framework of a nationwide network.

In cooperation with local authorities, UNICEF is working on life skills and healthy lifestyle education in Chernobyl-affected areas to improve the health of children and adolescents and to train them to make informed choices about their health and development in order to reduce the impact of environmental risks. The activities aim at the introduction of health and life-skills education into the school curriculum; capacity-building initiatives for professionals; and the involvement of children in healthy lifestyle promotion and informational and educational activities.