4th International Conference “Safe Belarus for Children”

The IV International Conference "Safe Belarus for Children" under the general heading "Child Protection from Violence System: progress achieved and new approaches" takes place in Minsk, from the 11th to the 13th of December, 2012.
INGO Ponimanie warmly invites leading experts and professionals from the Region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia to share their ideas and provide information about the progress achieved in the work of Child Protection systems of the Region. Among the main issues that are going to be discussed there are Child Protection from Abuse System, including Reporting on Child Helplines and Hotlines, Child Friendly Investigation and Trial, Treatment of Abused Children, Missing and Exploited Children, Child Protection in Parental Divorce and Domestic Violence. Accepted participants will not have to pay the Registration Fee at the conference. Abstract submission is extended till November 15, 2012.
Within the three days of the conference international experts and representatives of non-governmental organizations, regional interdisciplinary teams, Commission on juvenile Affairs, Investigation Committee, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Health Care, Ministry of Education , Ministry for Emergency Situations, psychologists, professors, journalists, representatives of governing bodies and public administration will discuss the achieved progress and new approaches in the development of the child protection system in the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation and other countries of East Europe/CIS countries.
The primary objectives of the conference are as following:
• To discuss the process of the development of Child Protection from Violence System in 2012, to sum up the results achieved.
• To inform on the new approaches, methods and tools concerning legal, medical, pedagogical and other aspects of protection children from violence.
• To formulate proposals about further development of Child Protection from Violence System.

On December 11, the day before the official opening of the Fourth International Conference, there will be working 4 sections of the Training Institute:
• Organizational aspects of the Child Helpline
• Interviewing children at child friendly questioning rooms
• Assistance in investigation procedures in search for missing and exploited children, supporting families of missing and exploited children
December, 12
The official opening of the Fourth International Conference and the plenary session with the participation of Belarusian and international experts.
December, 13
Working in small groups, summarizing the work of the conference, adoption of a resolution.

Key speakers:
•Elena Volkova, Doctor of Psychology, professor, the Head of the Institute of Psychology of Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University (Russian Federation).
•Vladimir Yanchuk, Doctor of Psychology, the Dean of the Faculty of psychology, social and educational work of the Academy of Postgraduate Education of the Republic of Belarus.
•Sergey Igumnov, Doctor of Medicine, the Head of the Republican Research and Practice Center of Mental Health (Belarus).
•Victor Vieth, Doctor of Law, the Executive Director of the National Child Protection Training Center of the USA, the author of a major work "Unto the Third Generation: A Call to End Child Abuse in the United States within 120 years".
•Thomas D. Lyon , Doctor of Law, Doctor of Psychology, professor of the University of Southern California, the author of manifold works on forensic interviewing of children victims of violence, creator of the Ten Step Investigative Interview of children victims or witnesses to violence that is widely used in the whole world.
When: December 11-13, 2012
Where: Johannes Rau International Centre for Education and Exchange (IBB)
Minsk, 11 Prospect Gazety Pravda.