Cyprus recorded 438 reports of child sexual abuse in 2024, equivalent to one new case every 20 hours or essentially one child every day, according to the Commissioner for Children’s Rights.
These figures represent only the children who found the strength to speak up and refused to keep the “secret” imposed by their abuser, the commissioner’s office said.
A new Cyprus-wide awareness and action campaign called #20ForYou launches on Tuesday to mark the European Day for the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
The initiative aims to meaningfully inform society and mobilise every citizen to end the silence surrounding child sexual abuse, according to a statement from the commissioner’s office. The campaign also seeks to amplify children’s voices, promoting a society that recognises, addresses and does not suppress abuse.
The campaign calls on citizens, parents, professionals and public and private bodies to support five critical demands for better protecting children.
These include substantial, specialised psychological and social support for all children who have experienced sexual abuse, and strengthening education in schools with meaningful life skills education that helps children recognise dangers in physical and digital environments.
The campaign also calls for placing a psychologist in every school for stable support and early risk detection, and more effective identification and immediate removal of child abuse material from the internet through close cooperation between police, digital platforms and relevant services.
The campaign asks every adult to dedicate 20 minutes from 10:00 to 10:20 in the morning—one minute for every hour that passes until another child is abused.
Citizens are asked to study the five demands, photograph their group holding a message with the hashtag #20ForYou, and post the photo on social media.
At the same time, schools across Cyprus are carrying out parallel activities, according to the commissioner’s office. Children answer the question “What do I need to feel safe?”, write their thoughts on post-it notes and place them on a “Wall with a Voice”. Schools then publish the wall on their pages with #20ForYou.
The campaign sends the strong message that “no child should grow up with fear, no child should remain helpless, no child should stay silent”, the statement added.
“Every child deserves to smile and grow up in an environment of safety, dignity and love. And today reminds us that protecting them is all our responsibility,” the commissioner’s office said.
(information from CNA)
