Strengthening Family Relationships as a Means of Crime Prevention, Especially the Role of Parents (WFWP UN Office Vienna)

In the frame of the 31st Commission of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ31) the Women's Federation for World Peace Office for UN Relations in Vienna has been able to host a side event for the fifth year, on May 20, 2022.

The topic of the event has been “Strengthening Family Relationships as a Means of Crime Prevention, Especially the Role of Parents.” This topic was chosen according to the request of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC): International Call for “Comprehensive strategies for crime prevention towards social and economic development.” The event had been accepted by the organizers of the commission, UNODC; our co-organizer has been Mr. Patrick Erlandson, with his organization: “Father-Con.”

Dr. Maria Riehl, Director of WFWP Vienna UN Office, warmly welcomed the participants. She briefly explained the topic of the event.

HE. Mrs. Irene Susan NATIVIDAD Charge’ d’Affaires, a.i. & Acting Permanent Representative of the Philippine Embassy and Permanent Mission, Vienna, expressed her appreciation for being invited to this meaningful event. As a parent herself, she said she shared the aspiration of all parents, which is for children to grow up in a world that is safe, where they never experience violence, hate and discrimination. However, to make this dream a reality, parents need to instill in the minds of children and grandchildren the values of peace, tolerance of differences, respect for the law, hard work, taking responsibility, and other virtues that make them productive members of their community.

Mrs. Natividad emphasized that creating peaceful communities, preventing crime and shunning violence start with families. Such families will teach these values to their members and provide support when these values are challenged. They will continue to guide especially the young and impressionable on a path away from drugs, crime and violence and other harmful activities. She believes Filipinos are very family-centered people. However, this sense of family is not unique to them but is shared with other cultures, in particular Asian, Latin American and African cultures. Referring to the Philippine constitution, she mentioned that it appreciates the important role of the family and that the state recognizes the family as the foundation of the nation and that its solidarity and development should be strengthened. Strong families make strong communities; strong communities make strong societies, which make stronger nations.
Finally, Mrs. Natividad expressed her eagerness to listen to other initiatives helping to build stronger families and safeguard peace in our society.

Mrs. Sokneang Sim, Second Secretary of Cambodia Embassy in Brussels, thanked the organizers for inviting her, on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Nong Sakal who is very pleased to listen to reports on the various projects for family values. He is especially keen to learn about the “Healthy Family Programme” which is taking place in Cambodia.
She stated that the family plays a key role in the development of children and young people; it is the place where children learn important values, such as respect for their tutors, other family members and their surroundings, and where they learn to take responsibility for their future.
Mrs. Sim also highlighted the importance of the family as the place where peaceful conflict resolution can be learned in addition to other important values. Therefore, parents need to be well educated about their role and be given the necessary support to fulfill this. She concluded by saying that healthy families contribute to a healthy society.

Mr. Patrick Erlandson, Founder See it - End it Film & Arts Festival, first became interested in Human Trafficking while at UNHCR in LA, where he learned about the organ trafficking of African refugees. Later, as head of the prevention subcommittee of the Long Beach Human Trafficking Task Force, he examined the causes, focusing on two areas: cultural forces normalizing exploitative behaviour, and the role of fathers. Through listening to stories of survivors, he observed a link between fathers and exploitation. Studies on fatherhood demonstrate the importance of fathers in child development and family stability. Fathers engaging with children support academic achievements and create empathy and a sense of security.

Unfortunately, some fathers feel hindered because of their own abusive experiences as children by a trusted adult. Their unhealed trauma makes them fear becoming abusers themselves, thus depriving their children of intimacy and affection. Daughters deprived of a father’s affection are often insecure and vulnerable to online predators, while sons feel angry, entitled and justified in pursuing a false view of manliness. Patrick founded Father-Con in 2018 to address the link between fathers and human trafficking and the role of fathers in reversing the trend.

Dr. El Khani, a Humanitarian Psychologist, at the International Consultant Drug Prevention and Health Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) believes in utilizing family skills as a tool of prevention for risky behaviors. Dr. El-Khani brings examples from the field: How utilizing family skills intervention is key to preventing a number of negative outcomes including criminal activities and other mental and physical outcomes. UNODC has been implementing resources to inspire to do locally what UNODC is doing globally.

Often the role of the family is greatly underestimated, but family is so powerful in the lives of children! Healthy Parenting is essential to early childhood development and can prevent so many negative outcomes. There is an assumption, that parents and caregivers automatically know what is best for their children, and how they will deal with the different situations! But actually, it is not that easy! On the contrary, it is rather quite complex, as a child goes through different phases of development. This can be increased by stressful circumstances.
This is why it is so important to concentrate on the support of caregivers.

A peaceful, understanding parenting can build resilience even in difficult circumstances, while harsh full and inconsistent parenting increases the likelihood of drug use, low school attainment, delinquency and more. The programs offered by UNODC Strong Families aim to strengthen the protective factor of a family, through communication, trust-building and problem-solving skills (relevant to the culture). Often they include opportunities to spend positive time together for bonding and are focusing on behavior change, in which good behavior is highlighted, rather than only criticizing wrong behavior.

Mrs. Almera Grace MAYO, President of WFWP Philippines, introduced the Domestic Peace Education Program – Part ONE: “The Role of Mothers in Raising Filial Children and Patriots.” The program supports SDG5: Gender equality, SDG 16: Peace and social development and SDG: 17 Partnership for the globe.

The Domestic Peace Education Program aims to uplift women as peace-makers, focusing on building love relationships within the family as a means to prevent domestic violence. During the 12-week program, the couples are given a special task each week. Progress is monitored by regular meetings. The program concludess with a graduation ceremony for couples who complete the course.

The weekly tasks included such activities as making a coffee for each other, doing sports together, going for a walk together, and sharing daily experiences each evening. All tasks focused on achieving a more active husband and wife relationship and on strengthening love and commitment towards each other. The couples shared testimonies at the closing ceremony, which highlighted the beauty of their experiences and the value of spending meaningful time together. They also promised to continue practicing what they had learned. WFWP Philippines plans for follow-up courses, especially focusing on the relationship between parents and children.

To close the program, Mrs. Carolyn Handschin-Moser, President of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women at the United Nations in Geneva, thanked the UNODC saying “For decades we tried to prove that putting family on the side would better serve the goals to reach the SDGs of the United Nations. Luckily we are coming back to this point with a different perspective. UNODC has been a silent champion in setting up programs that are proving the efficacy of strengthening family relationships, (even at a time when this was not so popular), to understand, solve and even prevent many social problems or even crime.

Mrs. Handschin ended with a hopeful message, saying “The discussion that we experienced here today automatically comes back to us, which is healthy: We are civil society, members of families; we cannot expect governments to solve our problems. We need to do this. It has to start locally, it has to begin with me as a parent, as a global citizen!”