The Focolare Movement publishes some Guidelines for Training in the Protection of Minors and People in Vulnerable SituationsThey come into force on January 1, 2024, for a period of 20 months. ad experimentumDuring this trial period, all necessary changes and transformations will be implemented for the future.
They were created to illustrate the characteristics necessary for a concrete commitment to the protection of the life and dignity of every person. Their development involved the direct collaboration of forty specialists and people involved in this field from all continents. Their sole objective is to provide the necessary elements so that each country can implement an appropriate training strategy aimed at preventing and eradicating any type of abuse, both within the Motion as in the environments where its members are found.
In the words of Margarita Gómez, Advisor to the International Center of the Movement for Physical Life and Nature: "The document is based on a key resource for us, which is communion: therefore, we will work in a network, there will be an international committee and teams that will carry out the project locally. There will be moments of exchange, with online links that will help us resolve doubts and share best practices. It is no coincidence that we have decided to title our training program Everyone responsible for everyone. I hope you are Guide Lines find a great reception in our communities and that in just a few months we have given a significant boost to training in this area."
Access to the full interview to Margarita Gómez and Etienne Kenfack, advisors of the International Center of the Movement for Physical Life and Nature.
Since 2013, the Focolare They work on training for the protection of minors and people in vulnerable situations. And they have done so through widespread work in all the countries where they operate, through a six-hour course containing the fundamental principles. This training effort had reached 17,000 people by December 2022. Although the training was open to all, it was primarily conducted by people who had responsibilities or direct contact in activities involving minors.
Behind him report on the serious cases of sexual abuse recorded in France, published a year after the investigation by the consulting firm GCPS Consulting, the imperative need arose to offer all members of the Focolare Movement – of any age, a vocation, nation, role - a specific training.
The Guide Lines current ones represent a universal tool, leaving ample room for adequate inculturation and specific implementation in the particular context of origin.
