the failing of initiatives against child abuse
It's no secret authorities across the world fail child protection miserably. Particularly young children are alienated on all fronts, unable to take up arms for themselves. People get profoundly touched by this problematic failing of societies to properly address child abuse.
It motivates some to take up arms with the noblest of intentions. Privately funded structures – foundations, trusts, associations – are set up in an effort to alleviate the state's criminal and often corrupt failing.
These noble initiatives virtually always fall prey at the hands of state actors and interests of perpetrators, getting blocked to fulfil their intended purpose and potential. They even get abused to commit crimes against children.
As so often in Switzerland, the state authorities do not want to fund or be involved in transparency. Swiss authorities like keeping things under closed wraps. Civil society has been openly critic about for example the Neuchatel structural lack of transparency: statistics, numbers, reports, ... The lack of transparency particularly hurts the advancement of children's wellbeing when public scrutiny is rendered impossible.
Herewith the continuation of Christian Fellrath (CF), supreme director of protection services in the canton of Neuchatel, as exemplary ghost on the subject …
Fifth post in the ongoing series of Neuchatel authority perpetrators, who's who? I suggest to at least go through the introduction of this topic.
President of the Isabelle Hafen Foundation
Problems remain unattended until reprehensible acts are committed. As long as adolescents do not commit crimes, state support structures are absent. And when reprehensible acts are committed due to the initiating behaviour not having been addressed by the state, it's too late.
Isabelle Hafen, a talented and recognised pianist, wanted for her wealth to be used in prevention of adolescents developing wrong behaviour. When she died, she left her fortune to a foundation in her name. Attached to it came strict rules.
The Isabelle Hafen Foundation (IHF) purpose is to attend to adolescents who are on the wrong path. To help them get right before they go out into the world, and help avoid they would end up committing reprehensible acts or crimes.
Directors of the cantonal SPAJ are directly mentioned in the will of Isabelle Hafen as having to co-administer the funds for its intended aim. She felt they see the adolescents in need of help, those authorities can not yet help because they have not yet done wrong.
CF's position as director of the Neuchatel SPAJ is as such mentioned in the foundation's statutes.
But, the foundation's address is at CF's SPAJ office, and CF happens to be the president of IHF. Anyone sees the potential makings of conflict of interest? When not wanting to address state funds, addressing IHF funds instead would be an easy one to think of ...
Meet the Swiss Latin Child and Youth Observatory
In 2022 the IHF, under the hospice of its president CF, opened the Swiss Latin Child and Youth Observatory (OLEJ).
The OLEJ was allegedly set up as a transcantonal private body to collect data, develop government policies, and oversee the application of the UNCRC in public policy.
I hear you say, “but the adolescents aim”?
The OLEJ, while funded by the IHF, has indeed no direct or specific mandate to address adolescents needs as per the will of Mrs. Hafen and the in her name set up foundation.
To the public appearance the OLEJ is funded by a private foundation, the IHF, independent from government.
But can the OLEJ be independent?
While it is funded by private money, the funds are administered by people in positions of state authority. As state actors with hands in private money operating in their fields of public authority, funds or actions are not subject to public scrutiny.
The makings of Swiss collegiality, conflict of interest, or worse, corruption.
independent transparent data is ... dependent
By setting up the OLEJ, this Swiss latin transcantonal structure, the responsibility for public data transparency and accountability has seemingly been shifted from the authorities to a private foundation.
The state as such no longer seems inclined or obliged to collect data, or to be transparent about it. Nor does it need to fund its duty to transparency any more. The OLEJ will do it for the state.
I foresee that in future years you'll see Swiss state authorities quoting, and hiding behind the OLEJ. The OLEJ who under pressure of their state authority controlled financier will say and do exactly as the ghost and publicly unscrutinised individuals in positions of authority pretty please.
In addition, OLEJ functions also as a civil society child public policy lobbying think tank, allegedly also overseeing the UNCRC's correct implementation in Switzerland.
Public authorities controlling private funds to watchdog public policies? All under an alleged civil society organisation umbrella? Speak of conflict of interest? Speak of corruption?
In any case it is a fine example of deferred state responsibility, and state policy manipulation, financed by someone's corruptly diverted noble dying wish. A far cry from Isabelle Hafen's will, wanting to administer help to adolescents in difficult situations. And all that at the hands of a main person, CF, who has cleverly deflected his responsibility into a shared one among latin Swiss cantons.
Who's going to blow the whistle on such a setup? No one in Switzerland I tell you: “collegiality”.
The end result: the OLEJ will I am sure be used as the state's scapegoat for any data and child policy related issues.
Series on Christian Fellrath, director of the Adult and Child Protection Services:
- part 1 { the ghost of child and adult protection services }
- part 2 { the failing of initiatives against child abuse }
- part 3 { (child) sexual violence parliamentary commission: canceled }
- part 4 { Incest according to Manon Schick}
- part 5 { What's the fuss about not bringing children to a court order about?}
Tags: #Rights #Sexual #Whistleblower
A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. This blog gets the proverbial pants on!
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