Violence against children can take up many forms. The negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are specifically worse for children in vulnerable contexts, whose specific needs regarding gender-based violence can be overseen in the current context of social and economic crisis.
This is the reason why the project Colourful Childhoods focuses on violence against LGBTIQ+ children in vulnerable contexts. Colourful Childhoods aims at preventing and combating all forms of violence against LGBTIQ+ children in vulnerable contexts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A child-centred perspective and intersectional approach is key to increase children’s empowerment, as well as their resilience.
The Colourful Childhoods project, now well under way with its implementation, is presenting an integrative analytical report, designed to provide a brief overview of the legal and sociocultural situation of LGBTIQ+ people in Europe, with a particular focus on countries included in the Colourful Childhoods study. In the context of the Colourful Childhoods project, country-based reports have also been produced by the research team in each country involved. The reports are publicly available at https://zenodo.org/record/8043659#.ZJ6TEi8RqpY.
The Colourful Childhoods project team also announces the publication of Guidelines for developing protocols to prevent and combat violence against LGBTIQ+ children in vulnerable situations. The publication provides tools and information on how to better help LGBTIQ+ children in vulnerable situations. The handbook contains recommendations, making the publication a useful professional tool for teachers, psychologists and childhood social intervention professionals, among others. The publication is available in 6 local languages and English at https://zenodo.org/record/8212304.
The team of Colourful Childhoods project hopes that this handbook will provide professionals with the knowledge needed to work towards a more inclusive and diverse society for children.
The project Colourful Childhoods is implemented in 6 European countries: Spain (by the University of Girona and Rey Juan Carlos University), Portugal (by the Centre for Social Studies), Italy (by the University of Palermo), Lithuania (by the National LGBT rights organization LGL), Bulgaria (by Bilitis and Syndicate “Education” as part of Labour Confederation “Podkrepa”) and Hungary (by Háttér Society).
The implementation of the project includes an analysis of local realities, research actions with children, including surveying 2542 LGBTIQ+ young people, as well as trainings of 600 professionals professionals and stakeholders, among other actions.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme under agreement No. 101049251. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.
