Event report

The Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Miltiadis Varvitsiotis referred to the role of the Conference on the Future of Europe as a challenge for young people and its significance as a form of modern dialogue between citizens and European and national institutions. He underlined that the CoFE should aim at enhancing children's rights. The Deputy Minister of Justice, Dr. Georgios Kotsiras underlined that the safeguarding of children's rights and the protection of minors constitute key priorities for the Ministry of Justice, which is reflected in the initiatives that have been promoted. The Deputy Minister also stressed that the Ministry of Justice has completed the drafting and has started implementing the National Action Plan for Children's Rights, which covers the period 2021-2023. It constitutes a comprehensive horizontal strategy and has as a priority axis, among others, a child-friendly justice system. At the same time, through the recent amendments to the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, additional protection is provided to juvenile victims of crime. The MP for Thessaloniki and Head of the National Action Plan for the Protection of Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, Ms Elena Rapti referred to this Action Plan, pointing out that it is a national effort to prevent and tackle the phenomenon, which is being launched for the first time in Greece in a coordinated and integrated framework, while describing in detail the reasons for its necessity as well as the actions included. The President of "The Smile of the Child" Mr. Kostas Giannopoulos, described in detail the long-standing and substantial actions and initiatives of the Organization in the field of child protection.