250 students from Almancil make a giant bow
The Municipality of Loulé joined the national campaign that, last Tuesday morning, April 30th, took place across the country to raise awareness about child abuse. A blue human bow set the tone for a morning of conviviality between students from educational establishments in Almancil, in Jardim das Comunidades.
In total, there were 250 children and young people from the schools of S. João da Venda, Escanxinas, S. Lourenço and Cónego Clementino Brito Pinto who, dressed in blue, formed a giant bow, a symbol of this international movement.
To liven up the morning and bring some messages to this young audience, there were local artists – Lady N, Gabz G and DJ Varela – with their music, in which sexism, violence against “women girls”, racial discrimination or parental abandonment served as inspiration for the lyrics of these rap songs presented here.
The theater group from the Mud@ki project also presented a play related to the theme. Adults often, in their day-to-day lives, forget to pay attention to their children, as they are so focused on their work, but also on technology. And this is also a type of violence that needs to be combatted and which was portrayed here by this group of young people.
“Loulé City Council continues to be a partner and get involved in this great movement. It is important that young people, from a young age, become aware of the meaning of the blue ribbon. The School has an important role and we, as the Municipality, continue to be part of this initiative and help them to know the importance of this topic. As a Municipality we are attentive to this issue and our Equality Plan addresses the issue of mistreatment, not only of children and young people, but also of women”, said Marilyn Zacarias, councilor at Loulé City Council, in relation to this action in which the Municipality is a partner of the CPCJ.
It is estimated that 140 thousand children in Portugal are victims of violence, “a social scourge that needs to be combated”, said the event organizers.
In 1989, an American woman (Bonnie Finney) tied a blue ribbon to her car’s antenna, in honor of her grandson, a fatal victim of abuse. With this gesture she wanted to “make people question themselves”. The impact of this initiative was such that April became International Month for the Prevention of Child Abuse.
Blue, which symbolizes the color of the child’s injuries, would therefore serve as a constant image in his fight to protect children against abuse. The actions that make up this Month are a way to support families and strengthen communities, in the efforts necessary to prevent child abuse and neglect.
