The I.N.T.I.T project helps to stand up for children’s rights

The project I.N.T.I.T (Integrated Trauma Informed Therapy for Child Victims of Violence), funded by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme, runs from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022. The project aims to map the best practices in integrated trauma informed therapy for child victims of violence, to develop a training programme for professionals and to teach trainers.

The project partners are from Italy, Cyprus, Spain and Germany, and the main coordinator is the Psychoanalytic Institute for Social Research from Italy. In Estonia, the project is implemented by the School of Law of the University of Tartu, and managed by Research Fellow of Criminology Anna Markina.

“The treatment needs of child victims of violence are an important issue as it is estimated that more than 100 million children in the European Union experience some form of violence. At the same time, participation in criminal proceedings, taking into account its needs, can contribute to re-victimization and hinder the treatment process,” Anna Markina explains the background of the project.

Consequently, according to Anna Markina, it is necessary to implement trauma-informed therapy and services for child victims, which, in accordance with European Union directives, protect the rights of the children and at the same time ensure the integrity of court proceedings.

I.N.T.I.T addresses this issue by enhancing the capacity of the care system to provide evidence-based trauma-informed therapy (TIT) services to child victims and ensuring national coverage.

The project aims to raise the awareness among law enforcement professionals, foster international contacts and networks, and improve the availability of trauma-aware therapy in partner countries.

The European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme combats all forms of discrimination and racism and addresses violence against women, young people and children. Programming is carried out by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Justice.

Further information: Anna Markina, Research Fellow of Criminology, School of Law, University of Tartu, +372 5557 3302, anna.markina@ut.ee