Haruv annual report 2020

MEHALEV: THE CHILD MALTREATMENT PREVENTION INITIATIVE

2020 Media Publicity Campaign Raising Awareness to Child Maltreatment

Objective: Influencing public opinion, raising awareness to the phenomenon of child maltreatment and prevention methods, and bringing the subject center-stage in Israel's public discourse. This year’s campaign highlighted reporting cases of suspected abuse, indications to detect and identify abuse, protecting children in the digital arena, and information accessibility regarding aid agencies in cases of abuse. Target Population: General Israeli public, especially parents, professionals and policy makers In January, as part of the events marking thirty years of mandatory reporting, a publicity campaign regarding mandatory reporting was launched including a main film, a series of articles and op-eds in various media. In March, professionals from Romemu community in New York visited and received training with the purpose of raising awareness to child abuse, and training the educators responsible for the community informal education program. Later that month, with the coronavirus outbreak and lockdowns, the campaign focused on the rising number of abuse reports, housebound children’s situation and the importance of reporting children at risk at this time. In May the initiative opened a new Facebook page in Arabic, for the purpose of making the campaign accessible to the Arab sector. It is managed by an Arabic-speaking employee and uploads content suited to the Arab sector. In June an Arabic language campaign was launched, addressing mandatory reporting and including a main film and related articles. In November, during awareness month to fighting violence against women, a series of personal columns and articles on children witnessing violence was published, written by people who had been victims in their childhood and joined the campaign to give victims a voice.

Venue: Social and traditional media

Budget: 300,000 ILS

Public Committee for Policy Change on Sexual Abuse in Childhood Year-long Objective: Giving voice to people who were abused as children, in the process of changing legislation to benefit abused children In July 2020 we established The Public Committee for Policy Change in the field of Sexual Abuse during Childhood. The committee members are professionals in the area of child abuse and survivors of sexual abuse. It is led by Prof. Carmit Katz, Director of Research at The Haruv Institute and a faculty member at the Social Work School in Tel Aviv University. Also on the committee are Anat Ofir and Ofra Ben Meir from Haruv. The committee works to collect and review hundreds of cases from sexual abuse survivors, and to use the major themes in their stories to create policy change in prevention, detection and treatment of children who have suffered abuse. Target audience: Victims of abuse in their childhood, policy-makers and legislators

ANNUAL REPORT 2020 |

Venue: Country wide Budget: 40,000 ILS

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