How to work with the families of sexually abused/exploited children

Learning about the work of the psychologist and the social worker with the family of a sexually abused or exploited child, and consolidating the capacities of this category of specialists were the purposes of the workshop “Techniques in working with the family of an abused/exploited child”, which took place on May 11 – 12, 2016 in Chisinau.

The workshop was organized by the International Center “La Strada” in partnership with the Network of National Organizations in the field of Child Protection and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Child Trafficking from the Republic of Moldova,[1] within the Project “Including the voices of children-victims of sexual exploitation in national programs and policies”. One of the goals of the project was to develop the Program for Rehabilitation and Reintegration of children-victims of sexual exploitation (PRR). The general framework of the Program was set in summer 2015, during a seminar also organized by the International Center “La Strada” with the participation of international experts in the field. Following the experience exchange between the experts from Israel and the Great Britain and the local experts, a model Program was designed, and piloted at the national level during 4 months.

During the development, and especially during the piloting of the PRR, best practices were identified that are used by specialists involved in the process of rehabilitation and reintegration of children who are victims or witnesses of abuse and sexual exploitation, as well as the needs for training in order to strengthen these practices. One of the identified needs is for the psychologist and the social worker to work with the family of the abused/sexually exploited child.

In order to strengthen the capacity of specialists and ensure the efficiency of the rehabilitation and reintegration of sexually abused/exploited children, during two days of training the participants got informed about several subjects related to the techniques in working with this category of children, from the perspective of systematic contact with their families. Among these subjects are the following: Family as a system; Systematic contact with the family; Implications of the attachment styles; Subsystems and borders; Rules and limitations in the family; Unconditional acceptance of the family; and several structural, behavioral, experiential techniques in the work with the family. The workshop ended with analyzing specific case studies and exercising family counselling skills.

It should be mentioned that the Program for Rehabilitation and Reintegration of children-victims of sexual exploitation (PRR) is not at its first information and training activity. During the year, it will be complemented with round tables, information and training seminars, as well as other forms for developing the abilities and strengthen the capacity of specialists involved in this process.

 

[1] The ECPAT of Moldova consists of national organizations engaged in combating sexual exploitation and trafficking of children. The national network was created in September 2006 and became an affiliate of the ECPAT Network in March 2007. The national network involves 7 organizations which mainly focus on promotion and protection of rights, as well as protection of children from sexual exploitation.