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Preface
Sexual violence against children is a severe violation of human rights . These rights are frequently violated all over the world but in particular in poverty settings as well as during wars , conflicts , and migration . Additionally , sexual violence often happens in situations where there is limited or no access to specialised health services , and the lack of any help and support causes many children and young people to suffer mentally . This can have severe and negative consequences for the rest of their lives .
In recent years , this gap between the specialist services that are available , and the enormous need for mental help has been of great concern to the World Health Organisation ( WHO ), and they have developed a strategy on how to fill this gap . It relies heavily on task-sharing , meaning that people without health care qualifications can be trained to provide basic mental health care such as protection , support and psychoeducation . The intention is to prevent people with minor mental health conditions from developing more serious problems . Furthermore , it is also designed to prevent the health systems from being overloaded .
Mental health and Human Rights Info ( MHHRI ) have earlier developed two similar manuals , one for female survivors of sexual gender-based violence and one for abused boys and men . This new manual from the MHHRI is an important and much needed tool for helpers and caregivers that are working with children who have survived sexual abuse in war , conflict , humanitarian crises or in low resource communities .
The manual is designed to identify and understand reactions to trauma , and deal with the different immediate and long-term responses that children display after they experience traumatic events . The manual explains in accessible terms the psychology of trauma and how traumatic events affect mental health . What are the signs ? How can these be assessed and understood ? How should helpers and caregivers approach children who are very distressed after having been sexual abuse ? How can helpers and caregivers create safe spaces for dialogue and give support that will help the child to recover and heal ? In addition , it also shows how we can refer to human rights principles and address the rights of child survivors , and clarify the consequences of violating rights , both for child survivors and for society as a whole . A human rights approach underlines how important it is that the child understands its own story , and that the helpers respect the child ’ s self-determination .
FORUT is very proud to be partnering with the highly professional team from MHHRI . We are grateful that our local partners in Nepal could be test-pilots for the manual and give their valuable feedback . Thank you very much for this opportunity . We are sure that this manual will provide nonspecialist helpers who work with traumatised children with good tools that they can use to help children rebuild their lives and regain their sense of dignity .
Ida Oleanna Hagen Secretary General in FORUT Gjøvik , 08.03.2023
Elin Kjeldstadli Hatlestad FORUT Programme Coordinator , Nepal