Creating an environment where children and youth are able to satisfy their needs and develop their full potential is a necessary prerequisite for inclusive and sustainable development. Creating new generations of responsible citizens will only be possible if the rights of today’s generations of children are protected and a safe and motivating environment for their development is created. It is particularly important to provide opportunities for children from marginalized social groups to access those social resources without which they would not be able to develop their potentials nor create decent living conditions. SeConS focused on youth and children as subjects of research on multiple occasions. The position of children and youth in situations of various social risks – living in remote and undeveloped regions, in periods of forced migration, poverty, social exclusion, to name some examples. Bullying among children and youth is part of the regional topic of research launched within monitoring of human security in the Western Balkans and Turkey region, conducted by the Citizens’ Network for Peace, Reconciliation and Human Security. SeConS is trying to shed light on various aspects of violence against children or violence among children, using various research methods. An assessment of the implementation of the protocol for prevention of violence against children was conducted by SeConS on two occasions, as the starting point for developing programs and measures for advancing this inter-sectoral initiative. Our team of experts is working on a comprehensive study on factors of violence against children and interventions aimed at prevention and protection of children from violence which have been implemented since 2000. The study is intended to be the basis for developing a high quality Action Plan for preventing violence against children in the future. A team of SeConS experts had the opportunity to participate in an international research project conducted by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation –a youth study carried out in a number of countries, using the unique Shell methodology. This comprehensive survey provided insight into the position, beliefs, values and hopes of young people in Serbia in 2015.
SeConS – SeConS Development Initiative Group