Listening to children and adolescents

Children and adolescents have the right to be heard and protected. When someone says they have been a victim of abuse, it is for the adult to receive their words with respect and to seek the help needed to care for them. They cannot be expected to have known how to recognise the abuse, to resist it or to have spoken sooner.

The first response

Listening means giving time, not finishing sentences or asking for details to check the account. One can say “I believe you”, thank them for their trust and explain that what happened is not the fault of the person telling it. Questions about why they did not defend themselves or why they took so long to speak shift onto the victim a responsibility that is not theirs.

Receiving an account and activating protection does not replace the investigation of the facts by the competent authorities. The adult who listens should not interrogate, confront the person named or expose the account to the community.

Guidance on receiving an account (in Spanish)

Taking part in decisions

The child or adolescent needs to know what is going to happen, who will receive information and for what purpose. Their views and concerns must be taken into account, with explanations suited to their age and way of communicating.

Protecting their privacy means sharing information only with those who need to act. It is not appropriate to promise absolute secrecy when it will be necessary to seek help to protect them.

The responsibility of those around them

A school, a family or an organisation must provide people who are available to listen and ways to act, even when the person named holds a position of authority. An institution’s reputation cannot justify silencing someone who asks for help.

After the first conversation, support is still needed. This includes coordinating support, explaining decisions and reviewing whether the measures adopted meet the person’s needs. Care is not measured by how quickly a victim speaks, reports or recovers.

Lucid trust

A context of lucid trust makes it possible to ask questions, recognise limits and discuss how authority is exercised. Children and adolescents take part in it as people with rights, with an autonomy that develops progressively and with adults responsible for their care.

Protective contexts and prevention (in Spanish) · Support from the Foundation