The “Convention on the Rights of the Child” provides for the right of children and young people to participate in all processes that concern them.
Underlining in article 12 is the right to freely express their opinion, which must be considered according to their age and maturity.
How do we develop activities with children and young people from 3 to 14 years old?
The project JUS – Justice for Children or Project 12, in Portuguese, has its main goal centred on helping children and young people to learn more about their rights. The project gives particular attention to their right to be heard and to express their opinion, cf. as stated in article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
For this purpose, a set of playful and interactive materials was developed and adjusted to three age groups: 3-6 years, 7-10 years, and 11-14 years. Some materials are played on the website, others are viewed (e.g., videos), and others can be printed. Considering that the literature refers that hearing contexts can also be anxiety-producing, the materials include activities focusing on emotional regulation and relaxation. The videos are subtitled and presented with the Portuguese Sign Language (LGP) option, seeking a more inclusive approach.
The role of the adult in this process is to be able to guide the child or youth in discovering these materials or in discussing and reflecting on some of the issues involved in them. The adult will try to be a facilitator of a more child and youth-friendly hearing process, increasing their well-being and trust in the professional system and its actors.
Younger children learn mostly while they play. The activities, therefore, seek to be appealing and adjusted to the different age groups. The presence of an adult is fundamental to helping the child explore the available materials, facilitating the learning process and emotional expression.
Activities available for children from 3-6 years old
The “Convention on the Rights of the Child” was written in 1989 and, in Portugal it applies since its ratification, in 1990. The diploma is where the fundamental rights of children are written, acknowledging their dignity, and guaranteeing their protection. However, the youngest children tend to identify and have better knowledge of their rights to survival and development but show less understanding of their rights to protection and participation.
n the end, you will find the link to an illustrated version of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child”, written in rhyme, by the National Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Children and Young People [CNPDPCJ].[CNPDPCJ].
Suggested complementary activities:
• Choose a right and create a new rhyme with the child.
• Model some rights with plasticine.
• Make a drawing about the rights.
• Make a mime about one of the rights.
• Search for pictures on the internet, magazines, or newspapers related to one or more of the rights of the Convention.
Questions for reflection:
• “What are the rights that you already knew?”
• “Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
• “What do you think about these rights?”
• “If adults do not respect these rights, what should you do? Who can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
Depending on the specific context of each situation, children can be heard in different processes, judicial or extrajudicial, and in several entities, such as, for example, Social Security, Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ), the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLCF, I.P), the National Republican Guard (GNR), the Public Security Police (PSP), the Judiciary Police (PJ) or the Court.
Before being heard, children should know how they will be heard, where and who can hear them and that some people’s roles are to help them feel more confident, relaxed, and empowered.
We present a set of four videos with the dog Duffy, the character that helps the child to know in more detail how a hearing process occurs and its specificities in CPCJ, PJ, and Court. These videos are also available in Portuguese Sign Language (LGP).
Questions for reflection:
• “What did you learn from the Duffy?”
• “What do you think about the rooms where children are heard?”
• “Do you remember the rules of children’s hearings? Which are they?”
• “What are the CPCJ for?”
• “Who hears children in the PJ?”
• “What are the courts for?”
• “What are the names of the people who work in the court?”
• “How did Duffy make you feel?”
In a playful and interactive way the child can learn more about some rights.
The rights that are presented in this game are:
Article 3.º The best interest of the child
Article 9.º Separation from parents
Article 12.º The child’s opinion
Article 19.º Protection from abuse and neglect
Article 21.º Adoption
Article 22.º Refugee children
Article 23.º Children with disabilities
Article 24.º Health and health services
Article 27.º Standard of living
Article 31.º Education
Article 34.º Sexual exploitation
Suggested complementary activities:
• Model some rights with plasticine.
• Make a drawing about the rights.
• Create a new right and illustrate it.
• Make a mime activity about one of the rights.
• Consult the illustrated version of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” (available in “Resources”) and explore other rights.
• Look for objects related to the various rights (e.g., toy – right to play; pillow – right to rest; food – right to eat healthy food; paper aeroplane – right to freedom; cups with a string connecting them – right to say what you think and feel and express your opinion).
Questions for reflection:
• “What are the rights that you already knew?”
• “Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
• “What do you think about these rights?”
• “What did you learn from this game?”
• “If adults do not respect these rights, how do you think you might feel? What should you do if an adult does not respect one of these rights? Whom can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
With endless possibilities of different paths (the activity was built so the child can find a new Maze for each game started). The child is challenged to find the way to some places where he can be heard: Social Security, PJ and Court. To be more appealing, along the way, the child can pick up some bones to give to the dog, Duffy.
Questions for reflection:
• “How did you feel while you were trying to get to… Social Security/PJ/Court?”
• “Have you already been heard? How did you feel until you got there?”
• “Are you going to be heard? How do you think you will feel?”
• “If you feel worried, anxious, sad, or afraid, how can you express or say what you are feeling?”
• “And what can you do to make yourself feel better?”
• “When Duffy eats a bone, he feels good and relaxed! What about you; what helps you to feel good and relaxed?”
The places where children can be heard vary and have different characteristics. In this game, with three levels of difficulty, the child observes an image and has to identify what is the intruder object, i.e., the one that does not belong to the context that the child sees. The game is intended to make the child feel more familiar with these different places where he or she may be heard.
In level 1, there is an external image of a court with three correct objects (a bicycle, a streetlamp, and a car) and an intruder (a yellow duckling from the bath).
At the level 2, the courtroom image appears with five correct objects (a chair, a microphone, a table, a board with the scales of justice and a computer) and two intruders (a beach bucket and a bone).
At level 3, the image of a playroom emerges with seven correct objects (colouring pencils, a child’s chair, a child, a basket with dolls, a children’s table, legos and wooden blocks) and three intruders (a hair dryer, a broom, and a television).
Questions for reflection:
• “What do you like more and less in the courtroom?”
• “And in the playroom?”
• “Is this how you imagined a courtroom? If not, how did you imagine it?”
• “Invent three more intrusive objects for each image”.
Before or after the hearing process, the child can experience different emotions, such as happiness, sadness, fear, anger, anxiety, or others. In this game, the child can choose different faces for Duffy and build different facial expressions, choosing its eyebrows, eyes and mouth, and several outfit accessories.
This game intends to help to develop emotional vocabulary and facilitate the expression of emotions (pleasant and unpleasant).
Questions for reflection:
• “How does Duffy feel?”
• “Why did you choose to make that face?”
• “Have you ever felt this way? When? Tell me about that situation.”
• “What other emotions do you know? Draw them.”
• “How do you feel thinking you will be heard in…?”
• “How did you feel after being heard in…?”
• “How can you show that you feel…?”
• “What can you do when you feel…?”
These drawings should be printed and painted by the child.
Questions for reflection:
• “What do you think about this courtroom? Did you imagine it to be different? If yes, how have you imagined it? What are the children’s rights that this drawing reminds you of?”
• “This room with toys is where they hear to children. What do you think about this room? Would you like it to be different? If yes, how would you like it to be? What are the children’s rights that this drawing reminds you of?”
• “In this picture is… a child and an adult/a child playing/ a child with the Duffy. How does the child feel? What are the children’s rights that this drawing reminds you of?”
In an anxious state, learning to breathe deeply (so-called diaphragmatic breathing) is fundamental to helping the children to control their anxiety (e.g., decreasing the likelihood of gasping for breath). Deep breathing means that the children should be guided to inhale very slowly and deeply and then let the air out very slowly. Often the metaphor of “inhaling as if smelling a flower, and exhaling as if blowing out the candles on a birthday cake” is used.
In this short video, Duffy breathes in and out, showing the child how to do it, thus being a role model.
Steps:
The adult should:
1. Show Duffy’s video breathing in and out, and explain to the child the importance and advantages of breathing this way.
2. Imitate Duffy and breathe deeply and slowly, too.
3. Ask the child to imitate Duffy for brief minutes while she or he watches the video.
4. Ask the child to say how she or he feels after breathing in this way.
5. Help the child to identify different situations in which breathing in this way might help her or him feel more relaxed.
O Glossário ilustrado apresenta a definição de 16 termos, organizados em função dos diversos locais onde a criança pode ser ouvida, numa linguagem clara e acessível a crianças desta faixa etária. O Glossário ilustrado é especialmente importante na medida em que ajuda a criança a melhor compreender alguns conceitos e a sentir-se mais informado, o que tende a minimizar algumas preocupações ou mesmo um possível estado de ansiedade.
Estas definições pretendem ajudar o adulto a explicar à criança os diversos conceitos.
Os termos definidos são os seguintes: Tribunal, Juiz, Procurador do Ministério Público, Adoção, Advogado, Oficial de Justiça, Vítima, Testemunha, Comissão de Proteção de Crianças e Jovens (CPCJ), Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses (INMLCF), Centro de Apoio Familiar e Aconselhamento Parental (CAFAP), Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), Polícia Judiciária (PJ), Segurança Social, Hospital.
Após a audição da criança, é importante incentivá-la a expressar as suas emoções. O que sentiu enquanto estava a ser ouvida, como se sente agora, o que gostou mais ou menos?
De uma forma lúdica e descontraída, este material ajuda a criança a expressar-se, o que permite ao adulto ajudá-la a regular eventuais emoções mais desagradáveis.
O Diploma é uma forma de reforçar a criança pela sua colaboração no processo de audição.
Activities available for children from 7-10 years old
In the end, you will find some useful links: “Convention on the Rights of the Child”, full version and illustrated version written in rhyme, by the National Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Children and Young People [CNPDPCJ] [CNPDPCJ]; video of the event organized by UNICEF to celebrate the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, by the UN General Assembly, and the Human Rights Convention.
Suggested complementary activities:
• Choose a right and create a new rhyme with the child.
• Model some rights with plasticine.
• Make a drawing about the rights.
• Make a mime about one of the rights.
• Search for pictures on the internet, magazines, or newspapers related to one or more of the rights of the Convention.
• Record a short video in which the child talks about Children’s Rights.
Questions for reflection:
• “What are the rights that you already knew?”
• “Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
• “What do you think about these rights?”
• “If adults do not respect these rights, what should you do? Whom can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
Children and young people have the right to be heard and to express their opinion on issues that concern them and the right to see their opinion considered in the decisions made.
Depending on the specific context of each situation, children can be heard in different processes, judicial or extrajudicial, and in several entities, such as, for example, Social Security, Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ), the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLCF, I.P), the National Republican Guard (GNR), the Public Security Police (PSP), the Judiciary Police (PJ) or the Court.
Before being heard, children should know how they will be heard, where and who can hear them and that some people’s roles are to help them feel more confident, relaxed, and empowered.
We present a set of four videos with the dog Duffy, the character that helps the child to know in more detail how a hearing process occurs and its specificities in CPCJ, PJ, and Court. These videos are also available in Portuguese Sign Language (LGP).
Questions for reflection:
• “What did you learn from the Duffy?”
• “What do you think about the rooms where children are heard?”
• “Do you remember the rules of children’s hearings? Which are they?”
• “What are the CPCJ for?”
• “Who hears children in the PJ?”
• “What are the courts for?”
• “What are the names of the people who work in the court?”
• “How did Duffy make you feel?”
In a playful and interactive way the child can learn more about some rights.
The rights that are presented in this game are:
Article 3.º The best interest of the child
Article 9.º Separation from parents
Article 12.º The child’s opinion
Article 19.º Protection from abuse and neglect
Article 21.º Adoption
Article 22.º Refugee children
Article 23.º Children with disabilities
Article 24.º Health and health services
Article 27.º Standard of living
Article 31.º Education
Article 34.º Sexual exploitation
Suggested complementary activities:
• Model some rights with plasticine.
• Make a drawing about the rights.
• Create a new right and illustrate it.
• Make a mime activity about one of the rights.
• Consult the illustrated version of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” (available in “Resources”) and explore other rights.
• Look for objects related to the various rights (e.g., toy – right to play; pillow – right to rest; food – right to healthy food; paper aeroplane – right to freedom; cups with a string connecting them – right to say what you think and feel, and express your opinion; book – right to education; cotton – right to receive medical care).
Questions for reflection:
• “What are the rights that you already knew?”
• “Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
• “What do you think about these rights?”
• “What did you learn from this game?”
• “If adults do not respect these rights, how do you think you might feel? What should you do if an adult does not respect one of these rights? Whom can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
With endless possibilities of different paths (the activity was built so the child can find a new Maze for each game started). The child is challenged to find the way to some places where he can be heard: Social Security, PJ and Court. To be more appealing, along the way, the child can pick up some bones to give to the dog, Duffy.
Questions for reflection:
• “How did you feel while you were trying to get to… Social Security/PJ/Court?”
• “Have you already been heard? How did you feel until you got there?”
• “Are you going to be heard? How do you think you will feel?”
• “If you feel worried, anxious, sad, or afraid, how can you express or say what you are feeling?”
• “And what can you do to make yourself feel better?”
• “When Duffy eats a bone, he feels good and relaxed! What about you; what helps you to feel good and relaxed?”
Before or after a hearing process, children are expected to experience different emotions (pleasant or unpleasant). Unpleasant emotions are harder to express. The emotion roulette game appearsis a facilitator of this emotional expression process, facilitating the expression of sadness, guilt, fear, anger, shame, worry, frustration, and the general malaise sense. It is also intended to help the child to express more pleasant emotions, such as joy, courage, tranquillity, or a sense of well-being.
The child should spin the wheel, read the corresponding sentence, and say how she or he feels. If they cannot do it alone, the adult should help by reading the sentences.
Questions for reflection:
• “Tell me about other situations when you felt this way”.
• “When you feel this way, what can you say to yourself to make you feel better?”
• “When you feel this way, what can you do to make yourself feel better?”
• “Who can you ask for help if you feel this way?”
The possible words are the following:
Court, Hear, Participate, Rights, Opinion, Children, Judge, Lawyer, Technician, Inspector, Duties, Police, Law, Argued, Hearing, Crime, Truth, Decision, Emotions, Secret, CPCJ, PJ, MP, Interests, Protection, Safety, Fear, Relax, Breathe, Relief, Victim, Innocent, Guilty, Empower, Honesty, Justice, Feelings.
Questions for reflection:
• “Did you know this/these word(s) before? What does it/do they mean(s)?”
• “To you, this word means…”
• “Let’s figure out together the meaning of this word?”
• “What other words do you know that are similar to this one or have the same meaning?”
• “After you have found these words, are there any others you think are similar that are not here?”
After answering, the child will see a short message, telling if she or he got it right or wrong. Independently of getting it right or wrong, a short additional explanation of the topic is always presented.
The affirmations that compose this activity are the following:
1 – I will be heard, and I can say that I did not understand the question.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Good! If you do not understand the question, you should ask to be explained a little better!
F – Wrong! If you do not understand the question, you should ask to be explained a little better!
2 – My opinion is the only one that counts for the final decision.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – No! Your opinion is important, but other information and opinions also count for the final decision!
F – Right! Your opinion is important, but other information and opinions also count for the final decision!
3 –I am a child and have the right to have a lawyer too.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Correct! You have the right to a lawyer that can be requested by you, your parents, the public prosecutor, or the judge.
F – It was true! You have the right to a lawyer that can be requested by you, your parents, the public prosecutor, or the judge.
4 – The person who listens to me is concerned about defending my interests and rights.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – That is right! The person who listens to you is concerned about defending your interests and rights!
F – Incorrect! The person who listens to you is concerned about defending your interests and rights!
5 – Being heard is like school: there are right and wrong answers.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – False! Remember that there are no right or wrong answers when you are being heard. It is about your opinion and your emotions and experiences.
F – True! Remember that there are no right or wrong answers when you are being heard. It is about your opinion and your emotions and experiences.
6 – While being heard, I must hide my emotions.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – No! While being heard, you should talk about what you are feeling. Your emotions are very important!
F – Right! While being heard, you should talk about what you are feeling. Your emotions are very important!
7. I can be heard at the court, the CPCJ or other services.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You got it right! Being heard is a right you have, and you can be heard in different services.
F – You are wrong! Being heard is a right you have, and you can be heard in different services.
8. While I am being heard, I should say only what I know and remember.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – That is right! You should tell the truth and only what you know and remember. You should not try to guess the answers or say what you think other people would like to hear.
F – Incorrect! You should tell the truth and only what you know and remember. You should not try to guess the answers or say what you think other people would like to hear.
9. Telling tell the truth is very important.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Very good! It is fundamental that you only tell the truth!
F – That is wrong! It is fundamental that you only tell the truth!
10. At age 12, I can decide whom I want to live with.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You are wrong! At age 12, you already have some maturity, but the final decision about whom you should live with is always up to the court.
F – You got it right! At age 12, you already have some maturity, but still, the final decision about whom you should live with is always up to the court.
11. Everything I say to technicians and judges is kept secret.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You are wrong! Confidentiality has some limitations, which means that what you say may be shared with other people who are part of the process.
F – Very good! Confidentiality has some limitations, which means that what you say may be shared with other people who are part of the process.
12. I am always heard alone.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – False! You have the right to be heard accompanied by a person you trust or a technician who will help you feel more comfortable.
F – That is right! You have the right to be heard accompanied by a person you trust or a technician who will help you feel more comfortable.
The game is presented with three levels of difficulty, and these levels are presented sequentially:
Level 1 – 12 cards (6 pairs)
Level 2 – 14 cards (7 pairs)
Level 3 – 16 cards (8 pairs)
The images that must be paired are as follows:
Child; Lawyer; Judge; Prosecutor; Duffy; Judiciary Police Officer and Justice Officer.
Questions for reflection:
• “What is a/an … lawyer/judge/prosecutor/Judiciary Police officer and Justice officer?”
• “How does this child, who is going to be heard, feel?”
• “Look at Duffy! How can Duffy help you to relax when you are being heard in…?”
When children know they will be heard, they may experience an increase in worry and anxiety, often associated with physiological changes (e.g., increased heart rate or respiratory rate, sweating, trembling) or behavioral changes (difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, chancgs in appetite).
In an anxious state, learning to breathe deeply (so-called diaphragmatic breathing) is fundamental to helping the children to control their anxiety (e.g., decreasing the likelihood of gasping for breath). Deep breathing means that the children should be guided to inhale very slowly and deeply and then let the air out very slowly. Often the metaphor of “inhaling as if smelling a flower, and exhaling as if blowing out the candles on a birthday cake” is used.
In this short video, Duffy breathes in and out, showing the child how to do it, thus being a role model.
Steps:
The adult should:
1. Show Duffy’s video breathing in and out, and explain to the child the importance and advantages of breathing this way.
2. Imitate Duffy and breathe deeply and slowly, too.
3. Ask the child to imitate Duffy for brief minutes while she or he watches the video.
4. Ask the child to say how she or he feels after breathing in this way.
5. Help the child to identify different situations in which breathing in this way might help her or him feel more relaxed.
O Glossário ilustrado apresenta a definição de 16 termos, organizados em função dos diversos locais onde a criança pode ser ouvida, numa linguagem clara e acessível a crianças desta faixa etária. O Glossário ilustrado é especialmente importante na medida em que ajuda a criança a melhor compreender alguns conceitos e a sentir-se mais informado, o que tende a minimizar algumas preocupações ou mesmo um possível estado de ansiedade.
Estas definições pretendem ajudar o adulto a explicar à criança os diversos conceitos.
Os termos definidos são os seguintes: Tribunal, Juiz, Procurador do Ministério Público, Adoção, Advogado, Oficial de Justiça, Vítima, Testemunha, Comissão de Proteção de Crianças e Jovens (CPCJ), Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses (INMLCF), Centro de Apoio Familiar e Aconselhamento Parental (CAFAP), Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), Polícia Judiciária (PJ), Segurança Social, Hospital.
Após a audição da criança, é importante incentivá-la a expressar as suas emoções. O que sentiu enquanto estava a ser ouvida, como se sente agora, o que gostou mais ou menos?
De uma forma lúdica e descontraída, este material ajuda a criança a expressar-se, o que permite ao adulto ajudá-la a regular eventuais emoções mais desagradáveis.
O Diploma é uma forma de reforçar a criança pela sua colaboração no processo de audição.
Activities available for children and young people from 11-14 years old
The “Convention on the Rights of the Child” was written in 1989 and has been valid in Portugal since its ratification in 1990. The diploma is where the fundamental rights of children and young people are registered, acknowledging their dignity, and guaranteeing their protection.
In the end, you will find some helpful links: Convention on the Rights of the Child, a video of the event organized by UNICEF to celebrate the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the UN General Assembly, and the Human Rights Convention.
Suggested complementary activities:
• Search for pictures on the Internet/magazines/newspapers related to one or more rights of the Convention.
• Record a video in which the young talks about Children’s Rights.
Questions for reflection:
• “What are the rights that you already knew?”
• “Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
• “What do you think about these rights?”
• “If adults do not respect these rights, what should you do? Whom can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
• “Did you already know these Human Rights? What do you think about them?”
Depending on the specific context of each situation, children and young people can be heard in different processes, judicial or extrajudicial, and in several entities, such as Social Security, Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ), the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLCF, I.P), the National Republican Guard (GNR), the Public Security Police (PSP), the Judiciary Police (PJ), the Directorate-General of Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP) or the Court.
Before being heard, children and young should know how they will be heard, where and who can hear them and the roles of some people that will help them feel more confident, relaxed, and empowered.
We present a set of five videos that explaining the hearing process of children and young people, the rules, and some specifics of the hearings at CPCJ, in the PJ, and Court.
Questions for reflection:
• “Do you remember the rules of children’s and young people’s hearings? What are they?”
• “What do you think about these rules?”
• “What are the CPCJ for?”
• “Who hears children in the PJ, and in what kind of processes?”
• “Why are children and young people heard in court?”
• “How do you feel when you think you will be heard?”
To increase the knowledge about some rights of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this game consists of the display of 12 carts. On turning the card, the player will have an illustrated description of a right.
In a playful and interactive way the child can learn more about some rights.
The rights that are presented in this game are:
Article 3.º The best interest of the child
Article 9.º Separation from parents
Article 12.º The child’s opinion
Article 19.º Protection from abuse and neglect
Article 21.º Adoption
Article 22.º Refugee children
Article 23.º Children with disabilities
Article 24.º Health and health services
Article 27.º Standard of living
Article 31.º Education
Article 34.º Sexual exploitation
Suggested complementary activities:
Model some rights with plasticine.
Make a drawing about the rights.
Create a new right and illustrate it.
Make a mime activity about one of the rights.
Consult the illustrated version of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” (available in “Resources”) and explore other rights.
Look for objects related to the various rights (e.g., toy – right to play; pillow – right to rest; food – right to eat healthy food; paper aeroplane – right to freedom; cups with a string connecting them – right to say what you think and feel and express your opinion).
Questions for reflection:
“What are the rights that you already knew?”
“Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
“What do you think about these rights?”
“What did you learn from this game?”
“If adults do not respect these rights, how do you think you may feel? What should you do if an adult disrespects any of these rights? Whom can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
When children know they will be heard, they may experience an increase in worry and anxiety, often associated with physiological changes (e.g., increased heart rate or respiratory rate, sweating, trembling) or behavioral changes (difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, changes in appetite).
In an anxious state, learning to breathe deeply (so-called diaphragmatic breathing) is fundamental to helping the children to control their anxiety (e.g., decreasing the likelihood of gasping for breath).
Deep breathing means that the children should be guided to inhale very slowly and deeply and then let the air out very slowly.
A podcast on relaxation is also presented. It consists of a brief relaxation training that the children and young should try, train, and use whenever they feel more anxious or worried.
Questions for reflection:
– “What do you think about this testimony?”
– “How do you think it made him or her feel…?
– “Imagine it was you being heard in… how would you feel?”
– “Does this testimony make you think about any children’s and young people’s rights? Which one(s)?”
– “In what situations do you feel more anxious or worried?”
– “What helps you to relax when you feel more anxious or worried?”
A podcast on relaxation is also presented. It consists of a brief relaxation training that the children and young should try, train, and use whenever they feel more anxious or worried.
Questions for reflection:
– “What do you think about this testimony?”
– “How do you think it made him or her feel…?
– “Imagine it was you being heard in… how would you feel?”
– “Does this testimony make you think about any children’s and young people’s rights? Which one(s)?”
– “In what situations do you feel more anxious or worried?”
– “What helps you to relax when you feel more anxious or worried?”
Before or after a hearing process, children are expected to experience different emotions (pleasant or unpleasant). Unpleasant emotions are harder to express. The emotion roulette game is a facilitator of this emotional expression process, facilitating the expression of sadness, guilt, fear, anger, shame, worry, frustration, and the general malaise sense. It is also intended to help the child to express more pleasant emotions, such as joy, courage, tranquility, or a sense of well-being.
he child should spin the wheel, read the corresponding sentence, and say how she or he feels. If they cannot do it alone, the adult should help by reading the sentences.
Questions for reflection:
• “Tell me about other situations when you felt this way”.
• “When you feel this way, what can you say to yourself to make you feel better?”
• “When you feel this way, what can you do to make yourself feel better?”
• “Who can you ask for help if you feel this way?”
The possible words are the following:
Court, Hear, Participate, Rights, Opinion, Children, Judge, Lawyer, Technician, Inspector, Duties, Police, Law, Argued, Hearing, Crime, Truth, Decision, Emotions, Secret, CPCJ, PJ, MP, Interests, Protection, Safety, Fear, Relax, Breathe, Relief, Victim, Innocent, Guilty, Empower, Honesty, Justice, Feelings.
Questions for reflection:
• “Did you know this/these word(s) before? What does it/do they mean(s)?”
• “To you, this word means…”
• “Let’s figure out together the meaning of this word?”
• “What other words do you know that are similar to this one or have the same meaning?”
• “After you have found these words, are there any others you think are similar that are not here?”
This activity involves the presentation of 12 affirmations, and after reading each one, the child must choose one of two options: True (T) or False (F).
After answering, the child will see a short message, telling if she or he got it right or wrong. Independently of getting it right or wrong, a short additional explanation of the topic is always presented.
The affirmations that compose this activity are the following:
1 – I will be heard, and I can say that I did not understand the question.
ubsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Good! If you do not understand the question, you should ask to be explained a little better!
F – Wrong! If you do not understand the question, you should ask to be explained a little better!
2 – My opinion is the only one that counts for the final decision.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – No! Your opinion is important, but other information and opinions also count for the final decision!
F – Right! Your opinion is important, but other information and opinions also count for the final decision!
3 – I am a child and have the right to have a lawyer too.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Correct! You have the right to a lawyer that can be requested by you, your parents, the public prosecutor, or the judge.
F – It was true! You have the right to a lawyer that can be requested by you, your parents, the public prosecutor, or the judge.
4 – The person who listens to me is concerned about defending my interests and rights.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – That is right! The person who listens to you is concerned about defending your interests and rights!
F – Incorrect! The person who listens to you is concerned about defending your interests and rights!
5 – Being heard is like school: there are right and wrong answers.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – False! Remember that there are no right or wrong answers when you are being heard. It is about your opinion and your emotions and experiences.
F – True! Remember that there are no right or wrong answers when you are being heard. It is about your opinion and your emotions and experiences.
6 – While being heard, I must hide my emotions.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – No! While being heard, you should talk about what you are feeling. Your emotions are very important!
F – Right! While being heard, you should talk about what you are feeling. Your emotions are very important!
7. I can be heard at the court, the CPCJ or other services.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You got it right! Being heard is a right you have, and you can be heard in different services.
F – You are wrong! Being heard is a right you have, and you can be heard in different services.
8. While I am being heard, I should say only what I know and remember.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – That is right! You should tell the truth and only what you know and remember. You should not try to guess the answers or say what you think other people would like to hear.
F – Incorrect! You should tell the truth and only what you know and remember. You should not try to guess the answers or say what you think other people would like to hear.
9. Telling tell the truth is very important.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Very good! It is fundamental that you only tell the truth!
F – That is wrong! It is fundamental that you only tell the truth!
10. At age 12, I can decide whom I want to live with.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You are wrong! At age 12, you already have some maturity, but the final decision about whom you should live with is always up to the court.
F – You got it right! At age 12, you already have some maturity, but the final decision about whom you should live with is always up to the court.
11. Everything I say to technicians and judges is kept secret.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You are wrong! Confidentiality has some limitations, which means that what you say may be shared with other people who are part of the process.
F – Very good! Confidentiality has some limitations, which means that what you say may be shared with other people who are part of the process.
12. I am always heard alone.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – False! You have the right to be heard accompanied by a person you trust or a technician who will help you feel more comfortable.
F – That is right! You have the right to be heard accompanied by a person you trust or a technician who will help you feel more comfortable.
The defined terms are the following: sexual abuse, judgment/ruling (pt: acórdão), accusation, adoption, lawyer, defendant, social worker, child hearing, gown (pt: beca), gown (pt:toga), cybercrime, commission for the protection of children and young people, consent, crime, detention, child rights, directorate-general of reintegration and prison services, national republican guard, inquiry, national institute of legal medicine and forensic sciences, judge, social judge, trial, law of promotion and protection of children and young people in danger, educational tutelary law, maltreatment, tutelary educational measures, negligence, injured (pt: ofendido), bailiff (pt: oficial de justiça), criminal police organizations or agencies, prison sentence, judiciary police, public security police, prosecutor, civil guardians (pt: tutelares cíveis), psychologist, plaintiff (pt: queixoso), parental responsibilities, defendant, social security, sentence, suspect, witness, court, family and juvenile court, victim.
Activities available for children from 3-6 years old
The “Convention on the Rights of the Child” was written in 1989 and, in Portugal it applies since its ratification, in 1990. The diploma is where the fundamental rights of children are written, acknowledging their dignity, and guaranteeing their protection. However, the youngest children tend to identify and have better knowledge of their rights to survival and development but show less understanding of their rights to protection and participation.
n the end, you will find the link to an illustrated version of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child”, written in rhyme, by the National Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Children and Young People [CNPDPCJ].[CNPDPCJ].
Suggested complementary activities:
• Choose a right and create a new rhyme with the child.
• Model some rights with plasticine.
• Make a drawing about the rights.
• Make a mime about one of the rights.
• Search for pictures on the internet, magazines, or newspapers related to one or more of the rights of the Convention.
Questions for reflection:
• “What are the rights that you already knew?”
• “Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
• “What do you think about these rights?”
• “If adults do not respect these rights, what should you do? Who can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
Depending on the specific context of each situation, children can be heard in different processes, judicial or extrajudicial, and in several entities, such as, for example, Social Security, Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ), the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLCF, I.P), the National Republican Guard (GNR), the Public Security Police (PSP), the Judiciary Police (PJ) or the Court.
Before being heard, children should know how they will be heard, where and who can hear them and that some people’s roles are to help them feel more confident, relaxed, and empowered.
We present a set of four videos with the dog Duffy, the character that helps the child to know in more detail how a hearing process occurs and its specificities in CPCJ, PJ, and Court. These videos are also available in Portuguese Sign Language (LGP).
Questions for reflection:
• “What did you learn from the Duffy?”
• “What do you think about the rooms where children are heard?”
• “Do you remember the rules of children’s hearings? Which are they?”
• “What are the CPCJ for?”
• “Who hears children in the PJ?”
• “What are the courts for?”
• “What are the names of the people who work in the court?”
• “How did Duffy make you feel?”
In a playful and interactive way the child can learn more about some rights.
The rights that are presented in this game are:
Article 3.º The best interest of the child
Article 9.º Separation from parents
Article 12.º The child’s opinion
Article 19.º Protection from abuse and neglect
Article 21.º Adoption
Article 22.º Refugee children
Article 23.º Children with disabilities
Article 24.º Health and health services
Article 27.º Standard of living
Article 31.º Education
Article 34.º Sexual exploitation
Suggested complementary activities:
• Model some rights with plasticine.
• Make a drawing about the rights.
• Create a new right and illustrate it.
• Make a mime activity about one of the rights.
• Consult the illustrated version of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” (available in “Resources”) and explore other rights.
• Look for objects related to the various rights (e.g., toy – right to play; pillow – right to rest; food – right to eat healthy food; paper aeroplane – right to freedom; cups with a string connecting them – right to say what you think and feel and express your opinion).
Questions for reflection:
• “What are the rights that you already knew?”
• “Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
• “What do you think about these rights?”
• “What did you learn from this game?”
• “If adults do not respect these rights, how do you think you might feel? What should you do if an adult does not respect one of these rights? Whom can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
With endless possibilities of different paths (the activity was built so the child can find a new Maze for each game started). The child is challenged to find the way to some places where he can be heard: Social Security, PJ and Court. To be more appealing, along the way, the child can pick up some bones to give to the dog, Duffy.
Questions for reflection:
• “How did you feel while you were trying to get to… Social Security/PJ/Court?”
• “Have you already been heard? How did you feel until you got there?”
• “Are you going to be heard? How do you think you will feel?”
• “If you feel worried, anxious, sad, or afraid, how can you express or say what you are feeling?”
• “And what can you do to make yourself feel better?”
• “When Duffy eats a bone, he feels good and relaxed! What about you; what helps you to feel good and relaxed?”
The places where children can be heard vary and have different characteristics. In this game, with three levels of difficulty, the child observes an image and has to identify what is the intruder object, i.e., the one that does not belong to the context that the child sees. The game is intended to make the child feel more familiar with these different places where he or she may be heard.
In level 1, there is an external image of a court with three correct objects (a bicycle, a streetlamp, and a car) and an intruder (a yellow duckling from the bath).
At the level 2, the courtroom image appears with five correct objects (a chair, a microphone, a table, a board with the scales of justice and a computer) and two intruders (a beach bucket and a bone).
At level 3, the image of a playroom emerges with seven correct objects (colouring pencils, a child’s chair, a child, a basket with dolls, a children’s table, legos and wooden blocks) and three intruders (a hair dryer, a broom, and a television).
Questions for reflection:
• “What do you like more and less in the courtroom?”
• “And in the playroom?”
• “Is this how you imagined a courtroom? If not, how did you imagine it?”
• “Invent three more intrusive objects for each image”.
Before or after the hearing process, the child can experience different emotions, such as happiness, sadness, fear, anger, anxiety, or others. In this game, the child can choose different faces for Duffy and build different facial expressions, choosing its eyebrows, eyes and mouth, and several outfit accessories.
This game intends to help to develop emotional vocabulary and facilitate the expression of emotions (pleasant and unpleasant).
Questions for reflection:
• “How does Duffy feel?”
• “Why did you choose to make that face?”
• “Have you ever felt this way? When? Tell me about that situation.”
• “What other emotions do you know? Draw them.”
• “How do you feel thinking you will be heard in…?”
• “How did you feel after being heard in…?”
• “How can you show that you feel…?”
• “What can you do when you feel…?”
These drawings should be printed and painted by the child.
Questions for reflection:
• “What do you think about this courtroom? Did you imagine it to be different? If yes, how have you imagined it? What are the children’s rights that this drawing reminds you of?”
• “This room with toys is where they hear to children. What do you think about this room? Would you like it to be different? If yes, how would you like it to be? What are the children’s rights that this drawing reminds you of?”
• “In this picture is… a child and an adult/a child playing/ a child with the Duffy. How does the child feel? What are the children’s rights that this drawing reminds you of?”
In an anxious state, learning to breathe deeply (so-called diaphragmatic breathing) is fundamental to helping the children to control their anxiety (e.g., decreasing the likelihood of gasping for breath). Deep breathing means that the children should be guided to inhale very slowly and deeply and then let the air out very slowly. Often the metaphor of “inhaling as if smelling a flower, and exhaling as if blowing out the candles on a birthday cake” is used.
In this short video, Duffy breathes in and out, showing the child how to do it, thus being a role model.
Steps:
The adult should:
1. Show Duffy’s video breathing in and out, and explain to the child the importance and advantages of breathing this way.
2. Imitate Duffy and breathe deeply and slowly, too.
3. Ask the child to imitate Duffy for brief minutes while she or he watches the video.
4. Ask the child to say how she or he feels after breathing in this way.
5. Help the child to identify different situations in which breathing in this way might help her or him feel more relaxed.
O Glossário ilustrado apresenta a definição de 16 termos, organizados em função dos diversos locais onde a criança pode ser ouvida, numa linguagem clara e acessível a crianças desta faixa etária. O Glossário ilustrado é especialmente importante na medida em que ajuda a criança a melhor compreender alguns conceitos e a sentir-se mais informado, o que tende a minimizar algumas preocupações ou mesmo um possível estado de ansiedade.
Estas definições pretendem ajudar o adulto a explicar à criança os diversos conceitos.
Os termos definidos são os seguintes: Tribunal, Juiz, Procurador do Ministério Público, Adoção, Advogado, Oficial de Justiça, Vítima, Testemunha, Comissão de Proteção de Crianças e Jovens (CPCJ), Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses (INMLCF), Centro de Apoio Familiar e Aconselhamento Parental (CAFAP), Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), Polícia Judiciária (PJ), Segurança Social, Hospital.
Após a audição da criança, é importante incentivá-la a expressar as suas emoções. O que sentiu enquanto estava a ser ouvida, como se sente agora, o que gostou mais ou menos?
De uma forma lúdica e descontraída, este material ajuda a criança a expressar-se, o que permite ao adulto ajudá-la a regular eventuais emoções mais desagradáveis.
O Diploma é uma forma de reforçar a criança pela sua colaboração no processo de audição.
Activities available for children from 7-10 years old
In the end, you will find some useful links: “Convention on the Rights of the Child”, full version and illustrated version written in rhyme, by the National Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Children and Young People [CNPDPCJ] [CNPDPCJ]; video of the event organized by UNICEF to celebrate the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, by the UN General Assembly, and the Human Rights Convention.
Suggested complementary activities:
• Choose a right and create a new rhyme with the child.
• Model some rights with plasticine.
• Make a drawing about the rights.
• Make a mime about one of the rights.
• Search for pictures on the internet, magazines, or newspapers related to one or more of the rights of the Convention.
• Record a short video in which the child talks about Children’s Rights.
Questions for reflection:
• “What are the rights that you already knew?”
• “Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
• “What do you think about these rights?”
• “If adults do not respect these rights, what should you do? Whom can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
Children and young people have the right to be heard and to express their opinion on issues that concern them and the right to see their opinion considered in the decisions made.
Depending on the specific context of each situation, children can be heard in different processes, judicial or extrajudicial, and in several entities, such as, for example, Social Security, Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ), the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLCF, I.P), the National Republican Guard (GNR), the Public Security Police (PSP), the Judiciary Police (PJ) or the Court.
Before being heard, children should know how they will be heard, where and who can hear them and that some people’s roles are to help them feel more confident, relaxed, and empowered.
We present a set of four videos with the dog Duffy, the character that helps the child to know in more detail how a hearing process occurs and its specificities in CPCJ, PJ, and Court. These videos are also available in Portuguese Sign Language (LGP).
Questions for reflection:
• “What did you learn from the Duffy?”
• “What do you think about the rooms where children are heard?”
• “Do you remember the rules of children’s hearings? Which are they?”
• “What are the CPCJ for?”
• “Who hears children in the PJ?”
• “What are the courts for?”
• “What are the names of the people who work in the court?”
• “How did Duffy make you feel?”
In a playful and interactive way the child can learn more about some rights.
The rights that are presented in this game are:
Article 3.º The best interest of the child
Article 9.º Separation from parents
Article 12.º The child’s opinion
Article 19.º Protection from abuse and neglect
Article 21.º Adoption
Article 22.º Refugee children
Article 23.º Children with disabilities
Article 24.º Health and health services
Article 27.º Standard of living
Article 31.º Education
Article 34.º Sexual exploitation
Suggested complementary activities:
• Model some rights with plasticine.
• Make a drawing about the rights.
• Create a new right and illustrate it.
• Make a mime activity about one of the rights.
• Consult the illustrated version of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” (available in “Resources”) and explore other rights.
• Look for objects related to the various rights (e.g., toy – right to play; pillow – right to rest; food – right to healthy food; paper aeroplane – right to freedom; cups with a string connecting them – right to say what you think and feel, and express your opinion; book – right to education; cotton – right to receive medical care).
Questions for reflection:
• “What are the rights that you already knew?”
• “Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
• “What do you think about these rights?”
• “What did you learn from this game?”
• “If adults do not respect these rights, how do you think you might feel? What should you do if an adult does not respect one of these rights? Whom can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
With endless possibilities of different paths (the activity was built so the child can find a new Maze for each game started). The child is challenged to find the way to some places where he can be heard: Social Security, PJ and Court. To be more appealing, along the way, the child can pick up some bones to give to the dog, Duffy.
Questions for reflection:
• “How did you feel while you were trying to get to… Social Security/PJ/Court?”
• “Have you already been heard? How did you feel until you got there?”
• “Are you going to be heard? How do you think you will feel?”
• “If you feel worried, anxious, sad, or afraid, how can you express or say what you are feeling?”
• “And what can you do to make yourself feel better?”
• “When Duffy eats a bone, he feels good and relaxed! What about you; what helps you to feel good and relaxed?”
Before or after a hearing process, children are expected to experience different emotions (pleasant or unpleasant). Unpleasant emotions are harder to express. The emotion roulette game appearsis a facilitator of this emotional expression process, facilitating the expression of sadness, guilt, fear, anger, shame, worry, frustration, and the general malaise sense. It is also intended to help the child to express more pleasant emotions, such as joy, courage, tranquillity, or a sense of well-being.
The child should spin the wheel, read the corresponding sentence, and say how she or he feels. If they cannot do it alone, the adult should help by reading the sentences.
Questions for reflection:
• “Tell me about other situations when you felt this way”.
• “When you feel this way, what can you say to yourself to make you feel better?”
• “When you feel this way, what can you do to make yourself feel better?”
• “Who can you ask for help if you feel this way?”
The possible words are the following:
Court, Hear, Participate, Rights, Opinion, Children, Judge, Lawyer, Technician, Inspector, Duties, Police, Law, Argued, Hearing, Crime, Truth, Decision, Emotions, Secret, CPCJ, PJ, MP, Interests, Protection, Safety, Fear, Relax, Breathe, Relief, Victim, Innocent, Guilty, Empower, Honesty, Justice, Feelings.
Questions for reflection:
• “Did you know this/these word(s) before? What does it/do they mean(s)?”
• “To you, this word means…”
• “Let’s figure out together the meaning of this word?”
• “What other words do you know that are similar to this one or have the same meaning?”
• “After you have found these words, are there any others you think are similar that are not here?”
After answering, the child will see a short message, telling if she or he got it right or wrong. Independently of getting it right or wrong, a short additional explanation of the topic is always presented.
The affirmations that compose this activity are the following:
1 – I will be heard, and I can say that I did not understand the question.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Good! If you do not understand the question, you should ask to be explained a little better!
F – Wrong! If you do not understand the question, you should ask to be explained a little better!
2 – My opinion is the only one that counts for the final decision.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – No! Your opinion is important, but other information and opinions also count for the final decision!
F – Right! Your opinion is important, but other information and opinions also count for the final decision!
3 –I am a child and have the right to have a lawyer too.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Correct! You have the right to a lawyer that can be requested by you, your parents, the public prosecutor, or the judge.
F – It was true! You have the right to a lawyer that can be requested by you, your parents, the public prosecutor, or the judge.
4 – The person who listens to me is concerned about defending my interests and rights.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – That is right! The person who listens to you is concerned about defending your interests and rights!
F – Incorrect! The person who listens to you is concerned about defending your interests and rights!
5 – Being heard is like school: there are right and wrong answers.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – False! Remember that there are no right or wrong answers when you are being heard. It is about your opinion and your emotions and experiences.
F – True! Remember that there are no right or wrong answers when you are being heard. It is about your opinion and your emotions and experiences.
6 – While being heard, I must hide my emotions.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – No! While being heard, you should talk about what you are feeling. Your emotions are very important!
F – Right! While being heard, you should talk about what you are feeling. Your emotions are very important!
7. I can be heard at the court, the CPCJ or other services.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You got it right! Being heard is a right you have, and you can be heard in different services.
F – You are wrong! Being heard is a right you have, and you can be heard in different services.
8. While I am being heard, I should say only what I know and remember.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – That is right! You should tell the truth and only what you know and remember. You should not try to guess the answers or say what you think other people would like to hear.
F – Incorrect! You should tell the truth and only what you know and remember. You should not try to guess the answers or say what you think other people would like to hear.
9. Telling tell the truth is very important.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Very good! It is fundamental that you only tell the truth!
F – That is wrong! It is fundamental that you only tell the truth!
10. At age 12, I can decide whom I want to live with.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You are wrong! At age 12, you already have some maturity, but the final decision about whom you should live with is always up to the court.
F – You got it right! At age 12, you already have some maturity, but still, the final decision about whom you should live with is always up to the court.
11. Everything I say to technicians and judges is kept secret.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You are wrong! Confidentiality has some limitations, which means that what you say may be shared with other people who are part of the process.
F – Very good! Confidentiality has some limitations, which means that what you say may be shared with other people who are part of the process.
12. I am always heard alone.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – False! You have the right to be heard accompanied by a person you trust or a technician who will help you feel more comfortable.
F – That is right! You have the right to be heard accompanied by a person you trust or a technician who will help you feel more comfortable.
The game is presented with three levels of difficulty, and these levels are presented sequentially:
Level 1 – 12 cards (6 pairs)
Level 2 – 14 cards (7 pairs)
Level 3 – 16 cards (8 pairs)
The images that must be paired are as follows:
Child; Lawyer; Judge; Prosecutor; Duffy; Judiciary Police Officer and Justice Officer.
Questions for reflection:
• “What is a/an … lawyer/judge/prosecutor/Judiciary Police officer and Justice officer?”
• “How does this child, who is going to be heard, feel?”
• “Look at Duffy! How can Duffy help you to relax when you are being heard in…?”
When children know they will be heard, they may experience an increase in worry and anxiety, often associated with physiological changes (e.g., increased heart rate or respiratory rate, sweating, trembling) or behavioral changes (difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, chancgs in appetite).
In an anxious state, learning to breathe deeply (so-called diaphragmatic breathing) is fundamental to helping the children to control their anxiety (e.g., decreasing the likelihood of gasping for breath). Deep breathing means that the children should be guided to inhale very slowly and deeply and then let the air out very slowly. Often the metaphor of “inhaling as if smelling a flower, and exhaling as if blowing out the candles on a birthday cake” is used.
In this short video, Duffy breathes in and out, showing the child how to do it, thus being a role model.
Steps:
The adult should:
1. Show Duffy’s video breathing in and out, and explain to the child the importance and advantages of breathing this way.
2. Imitate Duffy and breathe deeply and slowly, too.
3. Ask the child to imitate Duffy for brief minutes while she or he watches the video.
4. Ask the child to say how she or he feels after breathing in this way.
5. Help the child to identify different situations in which breathing in this way might help her or him feel more relaxed.
O Glossário ilustrado apresenta a definição de 16 termos, organizados em função dos diversos locais onde a criança pode ser ouvida, numa linguagem clara e acessível a crianças desta faixa etária. O Glossário ilustrado é especialmente importante na medida em que ajuda a criança a melhor compreender alguns conceitos e a sentir-se mais informado, o que tende a minimizar algumas preocupações ou mesmo um possível estado de ansiedade.
Estas definições pretendem ajudar o adulto a explicar à criança os diversos conceitos.
Os termos definidos são os seguintes: Tribunal, Juiz, Procurador do Ministério Público, Adoção, Advogado, Oficial de Justiça, Vítima, Testemunha, Comissão de Proteção de Crianças e Jovens (CPCJ), Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses (INMLCF), Centro de Apoio Familiar e Aconselhamento Parental (CAFAP), Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), Polícia Judiciária (PJ), Segurança Social, Hospital.
Após a audição da criança, é importante incentivá-la a expressar as suas emoções. O que sentiu enquanto estava a ser ouvida, como se sente agora, o que gostou mais ou menos?
De uma forma lúdica e descontraída, este material ajuda a criança a expressar-se, o que permite ao adulto ajudá-la a regular eventuais emoções mais desagradáveis.
O Diploma é uma forma de reforçar a criança pela sua colaboração no processo de audição.
Activities available for children and young people from 11-14 years old
The “Convention on the Rights of the Child” was written in 1989 and has been valid in Portugal since its ratification in 1990. The diploma is where the fundamental rights of children and young people are registered, acknowledging their dignity, and guaranteeing their protection.
In the end, you will find some helpful links: Convention on the Rights of the Child, a video of the event organized by UNICEF to celebrate the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the UN General Assembly, and the Human Rights Convention.
Suggested complementary activities:
• Search for pictures on the Internet/magazines/newspapers related to one or more rights of the Convention.
• Record a video in which the young talks about Children’s Rights.
Questions for reflection:
• “What are the rights that you already knew?”
• “Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
• “What do you think about these rights?”
• “If adults do not respect these rights, what should you do? Whom can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
• “Did you already know these Human Rights? What do you think about them?”
Depending on the specific context of each situation, children and young people can be heard in different processes, judicial or extrajudicial, and in several entities, such as Social Security, Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ), the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLCF, I.P), the National Republican Guard (GNR), the Public Security Police (PSP), the Judiciary Police (PJ), the Directorate-General of Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP) or the Court.
Before being heard, children and young should know how they will be heard, where and who can hear them and the roles of some people that will help them feel more confident, relaxed, and empowered.
We present a set of five videos that explaining the hearing process of children and young people, the rules, and some specifics of the hearings at CPCJ, in the PJ, and Court.
Questions for reflection:
• “Do you remember the rules of children’s and young people’s hearings? What are they?”
• “What do you think about these rules?”
• “What are the CPCJ for?”
• “Who hears children in the PJ, and in what kind of processes?”
• “Why are children and young people heard in court?”
• “How do you feel when you think you will be heard?”
To increase the knowledge about some rights of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this game consists of the display of 12 carts. On turning the card, the player will have an illustrated description of a right.
In a playful and interactive way the child can learn more about some rights.
The rights that are presented in this game are:
Article 3.º The best interest of the child
Article 9.º Separation from parents
Article 12.º The child’s opinion
Article 19.º Protection from abuse and neglect
Article 21.º Adoption
Article 22.º Refugee children
Article 23.º Children with disabilities
Article 24.º Health and health services
Article 27.º Standard of living
Article 31.º Education
Article 34.º Sexual exploitation
Suggested complementary activities:
Model some rights with plasticine.
Make a drawing about the rights.
Create a new right and illustrate it.
Make a mime activity about one of the rights.
Consult the illustrated version of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” (available in “Resources”) and explore other rights.
Look for objects related to the various rights (e.g., toy – right to play; pillow – right to rest; food – right to eat healthy food; paper aeroplane – right to freedom; cups with a string connecting them – right to say what you think and feel and express your opinion).
Questions for reflection:
“What are the rights that you already knew?”
“Are there any rights that you did not know about? Which ones?”
“What do you think about these rights?”
“What did you learn from this game?”
“If adults do not respect these rights, how do you think you may feel? What should you do if an adult disrespects any of these rights? Whom can you talk to about it? What can you do?”
When children know they will be heard, they may experience an increase in worry and anxiety, often associated with physiological changes (e.g., increased heart rate or respiratory rate, sweating, trembling) or behavioral changes (difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, changes in appetite).
In an anxious state, learning to breathe deeply (so-called diaphragmatic breathing) is fundamental to helping the children to control their anxiety (e.g., decreasing the likelihood of gasping for breath).
Deep breathing means that the children should be guided to inhale very slowly and deeply and then let the air out very slowly.
A podcast on relaxation is also presented. It consists of a brief relaxation training that the children and young should try, train, and use whenever they feel more anxious or worried.
Questions for reflection:
– “What do you think about this testimony?”
– “How do you think it made him or her feel…?
– “Imagine it was you being heard in… how would you feel?”
– “Does this testimony make you think about any children’s and young people’s rights? Which one(s)?”
– “In what situations do you feel more anxious or worried?”
– “What helps you to relax when you feel more anxious or worried?”
A podcast on relaxation is also presented. It consists of a brief relaxation training that the children and young should try, train, and use whenever they feel more anxious or worried.
Questions for reflection:
– “What do you think about this testimony?”
– “How do you think it made him or her feel…?
– “Imagine it was you being heard in… how would you feel?”
– “Does this testimony make you think about any children’s and young people’s rights? Which one(s)?”
– “In what situations do you feel more anxious or worried?”
– “What helps you to relax when you feel more anxious or worried?”
Before or after a hearing process, children are expected to experience different emotions (pleasant or unpleasant). Unpleasant emotions are harder to express. The emotion roulette game is a facilitator of this emotional expression process, facilitating the expression of sadness, guilt, fear, anger, shame, worry, frustration, and the general malaise sense. It is also intended to help the child to express more pleasant emotions, such as joy, courage, tranquility, or a sense of well-being.
he child should spin the wheel, read the corresponding sentence, and say how she or he feels. If they cannot do it alone, the adult should help by reading the sentences.
Questions for reflection:
• “Tell me about other situations when you felt this way”.
• “When you feel this way, what can you say to yourself to make you feel better?”
• “When you feel this way, what can you do to make yourself feel better?”
• “Who can you ask for help if you feel this way?”
The possible words are the following:
Court, Hear, Participate, Rights, Opinion, Children, Judge, Lawyer, Technician, Inspector, Duties, Police, Law, Argued, Hearing, Crime, Truth, Decision, Emotions, Secret, CPCJ, PJ, MP, Interests, Protection, Safety, Fear, Relax, Breathe, Relief, Victim, Innocent, Guilty, Empower, Honesty, Justice, Feelings.
Questions for reflection:
• “Did you know this/these word(s) before? What does it/do they mean(s)?”
• “To you, this word means…”
• “Let’s figure out together the meaning of this word?”
• “What other words do you know that are similar to this one or have the same meaning?”
• “After you have found these words, are there any others you think are similar that are not here?”
This activity involves the presentation of 12 affirmations, and after reading each one, the child must choose one of two options: True (T) or False (F).
After answering, the child will see a short message, telling if she or he got it right or wrong. Independently of getting it right or wrong, a short additional explanation of the topic is always presented.
The affirmations that compose this activity are the following:
1 – I will be heard, and I can say that I did not understand the question.
ubsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Good! If you do not understand the question, you should ask to be explained a little better!
F – Wrong! If you do not understand the question, you should ask to be explained a little better!
2 – My opinion is the only one that counts for the final decision.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – No! Your opinion is important, but other information and opinions also count for the final decision!
F – Right! Your opinion is important, but other information and opinions also count for the final decision!
3 – I am a child and have the right to have a lawyer too.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Correct! You have the right to a lawyer that can be requested by you, your parents, the public prosecutor, or the judge.
F – It was true! You have the right to a lawyer that can be requested by you, your parents, the public prosecutor, or the judge.
4 – The person who listens to me is concerned about defending my interests and rights.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – That is right! The person who listens to you is concerned about defending your interests and rights!
F – Incorrect! The person who listens to you is concerned about defending your interests and rights!
5 – Being heard is like school: there are right and wrong answers.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – False! Remember that there are no right or wrong answers when you are being heard. It is about your opinion and your emotions and experiences.
F – True! Remember that there are no right or wrong answers when you are being heard. It is about your opinion and your emotions and experiences.
6 – While being heard, I must hide my emotions.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – No! While being heard, you should talk about what you are feeling. Your emotions are very important!
F – Right! While being heard, you should talk about what you are feeling. Your emotions are very important!
7. I can be heard at the court, the CPCJ or other services.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You got it right! Being heard is a right you have, and you can be heard in different services.
F – You are wrong! Being heard is a right you have, and you can be heard in different services.
8. While I am being heard, I should say only what I know and remember.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – That is right! You should tell the truth and only what you know and remember. You should not try to guess the answers or say what you think other people would like to hear.
F – Incorrect! You should tell the truth and only what you know and remember. You should not try to guess the answers or say what you think other people would like to hear.
9. Telling tell the truth is very important.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – Very good! It is fundamental that you only tell the truth!
F – That is wrong! It is fundamental that you only tell the truth!
10. At age 12, I can decide whom I want to live with.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You are wrong! At age 12, you already have some maturity, but the final decision about whom you should live with is always up to the court.
F – You got it right! At age 12, you already have some maturity, but the final decision about whom you should live with is always up to the court.
11. Everything I say to technicians and judges is kept secret.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – You are wrong! Confidentiality has some limitations, which means that what you say may be shared with other people who are part of the process.
F – Very good! Confidentiality has some limitations, which means that what you say may be shared with other people who are part of the process.
12. I am always heard alone.
Subsequent explanation for the choices T or F:
T – False! You have the right to be heard accompanied by a person you trust or a technician who will help you feel more comfortable.
F – That is right! You have the right to be heard accompanied by a person you trust or a technician who will help you feel more comfortable.
The defined terms are the following: sexual abuse, judgment/ruling (pt: acórdão), accusation, adoption, lawyer, defendant, social worker, child hearing, gown (pt: beca), gown (pt:toga), cybercrime, commission for the protection of children and young people, consent, crime, detention, child rights, directorate-general of reintegration and prison services, national republican guard, inquiry, national institute of legal medicine and forensic sciences, judge, social judge, trial, law of promotion and protection of children and young people in danger, educational tutelary law, maltreatment, tutelary educational measures, negligence, injured (pt: ofendido), bailiff (pt: oficial de justiça), criminal police organizations or agencies, prison sentence, judiciary police, public security police, prosecutor, civil guardians (pt: tutelares cíveis), psychologist, plaintiff (pt: queixoso), parental responsibilities, defendant, social security, sentence, suspect, witness, court, family and juvenile court, victim.
The child’s hearings can happen in different contexts, and it is essential to know some procedures that can help the child to be heard more adequately, thus enhancing positive feelings and a greater sense of well-being.
Here you will find some materials that systematise good practices for the child’s hearing process, oriented according to their age and level of development. They also address the variables of the physical environment, the interview, and the interviewer.
Texts available for consultation
Document prepared by
Joana Alexandre e
Rute Agulhas
Text of Appellate Judge
Paulo Guerra
Text of
Judge of Law
António Fialho
Text of
Odete Severino Soares
Text of Appellate Judge
Paulo Guerra
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