Safe and child-friendly communication

On April 19, UNICEF in Belarus conducted a training for Belarus Ministry of Internal Affairs staff overseeing migration and citizenship as well as border service. UNICEF’s Regional Child Protection Senior Specialist for Europe and Central Asia Guzal Kamalova facilitated the training.

Lately, UNICEF and partners have been addressing issues related to migrants and refugees crossing the border of Belarus. They represent tens of thousands of people, a significant part of which are families with children.

There are cases when some children are left unaccompanied by parents or other caregivers. Children left without parental care are at increased risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation. Risks unfold further when they cross the borders. Emergencies also increase the risk of children being trafficked. In many cases, children and adolescents are under stress and need psychological support.

“Belarus is a transit state. For example, we have been experiencing the flow of illegal migrants from Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East into Belarus. We face the situations when families are separated from their children. Children travel without relatives or legal representatives. Their first point of contact and those who can help are border guards or internal affairs authorities. Communicating with those vulnerable children requires special knowledge and skills. UNICEF facilitated training was hence very important for us to gain knowledge in this field. We have learned about algorithms for identifying vulnerable children, about how they can be contacted and how to build this work appropriately,” said Mikhail Chutkov, Deputy Head of the State and Migration Department under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Guzal Kamalova shared the principles of ensuring the safety of children in accordance with international law. She also briefed on the principles of child-friendly communication, signs and types of vulnerabilities of refugee children (unaccompanied and separated children; children who have experienced trauma and stress; children from other socio-cultural and language environment; children with disabilities and special needs).

“All countries that have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including Belarus, commit to protect the interests of every child in the country. UNICEF calls for respecting the rights of migrant and refugee children and protecting them from violence, discrimination, and other risks. We are grateful for the work of national partners in this area and are ready to further cooperate for the realization of children’s rights in Belarus,” said Dzmitry Shylin, UNICEF Senior Child Protection Specialist in Belarus.

Specialists learned how to communicate with refugee and migrant children such as initiating the conversation, talking in a child-friendly manner, how to ensure their safety, identify boys and girls who need help, and establish referral pathways for services and support.

The training was the first in a series with participation of UNICEF experts.