Hungary reiterates its continued commitment to support the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children. The protection and promotion of children’s rights, including their protection against any forms of violence is a high priority for the Government of Hungary.
A number of steps have been taken recently by the Government for the protection of children’s rights. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the rights of the children as a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Hungary proudly delivered the statement below at the 44th session of the Human Rights Council:
„Madam President,
Hungary aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the EU. We thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children for her annual report focusing on the impacts of violence on children’s mental health.
We welcome the work undertaken by the SRSG in 2019, especially that efforts have been scaling up to safeguard children’s freedom from violence and to advance implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We wish to reiterate our continued commitment to support the SRSG’s mandate, and are pleased to expound recent steps taken by the Government for the protection of children.
Since 1 January 2019 significant progress have been made to include in the remit of regional child protection services the investigation and therapy of neglected and abused children - especially those who have been sexually abused - and the hearing of affected children, based on Barnahus model. It aims to protect child victims of sexual abuse from the retraumatizing effects of multiple interrogations during evidentiary and criminal procedures, and to protect the child from other severely traumatic factors during proceedings.
One of the Government’s high priority objectives is the creation of opportunities, and the assurance of the children’s rights to protection, as guaranteed in the Fundamental Law. The main goal is to make sure that children receive all the resources and services, which are vital for their physical, mental and spiritual development, at the earliest possible time. The Government has quadrupled the child welfare centres by opening family and child welfare centres under the control of the municipalities in the respective district centres, which number rose from 48 to 197 across the country.
The child protection signalling system is one of the cornerstones of our preventive child protection, and has prominent significance in the enforcement of children’s rights. It has a paramount role in promoting the upbringing of children in their own families, and in the earliest possible detection of problems. One of the key roles of the inter-sectoral network comprising the entire country and all specialised areas dealing with children is to identify the problems of children and juveniles at the earliest possible time, and to take the necessary measures to organise the services and provisions most suitable for children’s needs.
In Hungary, temporary family homes enable the placement of children together with their parents. The main purpose of these homes is to strengthen the family and reduce the negative effects of psychological harm. Within the temporary family homes system, the temporary accommodation forms were expanded from 1 January 2018 by creating external capacities for the temporary family homes.
Finally, Madam President, we reiterate that Hungary remains committed to ensure the respect, protection and promotion of children’s rights, including their protection against any forms of violence.
I thank you!”