The comic book helping children learn who to turn to for help
Children know exactly who to turn to protect their rights
- Available in:
- Crnogorski
- English
- Shqip
Podgorica – Sofia, Jovan and Milena are not peers of the same age. They all attend schools in different towns and have different interests. But they are connected by the fact that they are all potentially exposed to the same risk situations in which their rights or those of their peers may be in danger of being violated. They have learned how to react and to help themselves and to help others in the event of online violence, domestic violence or in the process of their parents divorcing, thanks to a comic book designed by the NGO Action for Human Rights, with the support of UNICEF.
Thanks to one of the three interesting stories shown in the comic book, Sofija Brkovic (10), a student from Milorad Musa Burzan Elementary School in Podgorica, has learned what her options are in the event that her privacy on the internet is in danger of being violated.
Some of these child rights were known to me from before, since we learned about them in school, and I have talked to my parents about them, but the comic gave me better insight and offered a better perspective. I have found out who we can turn to in the event of online violence.
Jovan Lalevic (16), a student at the Petar I Petrovic Njegos General Secondary School in Danilovgrad, believes that this comic is particularly useful for children who are not aware that they are victims of domestic violence or for those who are under stress due to their parents getting divorced.
It is important to recognize the problem in yourself or in your friend, to react in time and to seek help, and the stories in this comic book offer that kind of information. The comic has taught me that I can turn to school staff, social workers, the police, the prosecutor's office and the judiciary for support in stressful situations.
Milena Vulevic (17), a student at the Mixed Secondary School in Golubovci, believes that children and young people often do not dare to talk about their problem and therefore do not know who to turn to for help when struggling.
This comic encourages us all to react and allows us to find the right path to a solution.
One of the authors of the comic, teacher Miroslav Minic, says that the comic is meant not only for children and young people but also for their parents and teachers.
Sometimes it is difficult to recognize that violence is taking place or that a child is going through a difficult period. It is also essential that all teachers are prepared and know how to help young people and when to hire them.
Tea Gorjanc Prelevic, executive director of the NGO Action for Human Rights, says that the comic depicts problems that, according to the experience of social workers and school psychologists, are very common and may seem insurmountable to children.
However, there are procedures that the police, prosecutors, judges and professional workers in the Centres for Social Work are obliged to apply, and which can help children.
Nada Djurovic Martinovic, UNICEF's Child Protection Officer, said that it is very important to support children in recognizing and better understanding their rights in a creative manner that motivates them to help themselves and others when their rights are violated.
The comics were created in the context of the regional initiative "Equal Access to Justice for Children" implemented in Montenegro and Albania with the technical support of UNICEF and financial assistance from the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, which aims, among other things, to empower children and their families so that they know how to protect their rights and to know who to turn to in case of violations of their rights.
The comic book guidance on the protection of child rights is available in Montenegrin and Albanian at:
https://www.hraction.org/2021/02/01/uputstva-o-zastiti-djecjih-prava-u-formi-tri-stripa/
