Lithuania plans unified response to violence against children

Lithuania’s Ministry of Social Security and Labour, working with other responsible institutions, has prepared an action plan to ensure a more consistent and coordinated response to cases of violence against children, LRT reports.

The plan was prepared following an order from Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius, the ministry said in a response to ELTA.

One of the main measures is to develop, by November, a unified response algorithm for all institutions working with children. It will set out signs that may indicate violence, who must report it and to whom, which institutions must act, and how assistance and child safety should be organised after a report.

The ministry expects the algorithm and a clear action plan to reach schools, social services, healthcare providers and other institutions working with children by the end of the year.

Information will also be prepared for children and their families on where to seek help in cases of violence, including from the Child Rights Line, police, schools and emotional support services. It will explain where to report harmful online content, what happens after a report is submitted and where assistance is available.

Recommendations for schools on preventing and responding to violence will also be reviewed by the end of the year. The review will seek to clarify schools’ responsibilities when violence occurs outside school grounds but affects the school community.

The plan also includes an assessment of remote psychological support and current rules governing mobile phone use in schools.

The ministry said the plan places considerable emphasis on cooperation between institutions. It aims to clarify how institutions should act and exchange information when there are suspicions of violence or risks to a child.

In healthcare, the notification procedure will be reviewed to clarify when and how responsible institutions should be informed.

A separate set of measures will address violence online and in the public sphere. Authorities will assess how to strengthen institutions’ ability to respond to harmful content and whether the labelling of content intended for or easily accessible to minors should be improved.

The review will also examine whether existing legal and self-regulatory measures are sufficient to govern the publication of images showing real violence against children.

The ministry plans to expand the Multidimensional Family Therapy programme so that intensive support for children with serious behavioural difficulties and their families is available in every municipality. The mobile, evidence-based service is currently provided in 42 municipalities.

“Our goal is very practical: to coordinate the actions of all the institutions involved and ensure clear responsibilities, information-sharing procedures and the organisation of assistance,” the ministry said.

Greater attention has been paid to violence among minors since an incident in July at Marijampolė’s Poetry Park, where a minor girl was beaten. According to law enforcement, she was hit several times with hands, feet and a phone held in the attacker’s hand. People nearby watched and filmed the confrontation, and a video containing violent images spread on social media that same evening.