Its goal is for the two countries to conclude a bilateral agreement that would allow the start of negotiations for the accession of RS Macedonia to the EU.
French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed readiness to bring together in Paris, “when the time comes”, representatives of the authorities in Sofia and Skopje to conclude a bilateral agreement that would allow negotiations to begin on the accession of the Republic of Northern Macedonia (PCM) to the European Union. , reported AFP.
France, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council until the end of this month, has been supporting “for several weeks” efforts to find a solution to the dispute between the two countries, the Elysee Palace said last night after Macron’s telephone conversations with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Prime Minister RSM Dimitar Kovachevski.
The French president expressed his “full support for an agreement between the two countries that would contribute to good neighborly relations and specify the European perspective of Northern Macedonia”.
Since November 2020, Sofia has blocked the start of EU membership talks with Skopje over bilateral disputes over language and history.
In July, repairs began on the Bulgarian section of the bridge near Ruse
Bulgaria and Romania are launching simultaneous feasibility studies at five locations on both sides of the Danube to build new bridges. This was announced by the press center of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
For the Romanian side, dredging the Danube is a priority. The Bulgarian side will respond adequately to this, as from June 20 the Executive Agency “Research and Maintenance of the Danube” (EAPPD) begins dredging the river with its own funds, and within a week we will announce a public tender for dredging activities, said the Minister. Nikolay Sabev during a meeting today in Bucharest of the joint Bulgarian-Romanian working group on connectivity, which is under the patronage of the two prime ministers.
On the Romanian side, the working group is led by Sorin Grindianu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure. The Bulgarian delegation was accompanied by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to Bucharest HE Radko Vlaykov.
Minister Sabev stated that funding has been provided for the deepening of the Danube in the amount of BGN 15 million.
“The documentation has been prepared and has already been sent to the Public Procurement Agency for preliminary control, and the funds have been distributed for a three-year period,” he explained.
Regarding the joint project Fast Danube Sabev and Grindianu agreed by the end of 2022 a joint working group to prepare a joint project for funding by the European Commission of the planned engineering measures on the river.
Sabev informed his Romanian counterpart that Bulgaria is fully prepared for the launch of the Ruse-Giurgiu ferry connection and suggested that a joint border control be carried out in Ruse, while the necessary conditions are being created in Giurgiu. Deputy Prime Minister Grindianu has pledged to help local authorities speed up action in Giurgiu.
The Bulgarian side plans to start repairing its part of the Danube Bridge I in July, which from the point of view of the Romanian delegation could create serious problems for tourist and trade flows, the ministry said in a statement. Sabev will discuss the issue with Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadzhov so that the time for repairs can be planned so that traffic between the two countries is hindered to a minimum, the ministry said.
Paychecks: Agreement at night – lead negotiator Dennis Radtke (CDU):“Agreement writes socio-political history in Europe”
Straßburg/Düsseldorf, 07. Juni 2022 – “With the agreement on minimum wages, we are writing socio-political history in Europe. For the first time, EU legislation will make a direct contribution in ensuring that workers are getting fairer, better paychecks”, the lead negotiator of the European Parliament, Dennis Radtke (CDU), commented the result on a statement sent to The European Times.
Until deep in the past night, the EPP-Coordinator for Employment and Social Affairs had negotiated in the Trilogue between the Parliament, the Council and the European Commission and reached a compromise on the EU Minimum Wage Directive.
With the agreement on minimum wages, we are writing socio political history in Europe. For the first time, EU legislation will make a direct contribution in ensuring that workers are getting fairer, better paychecks
MEP Dennis Radtke
According to the North Rhine-Westphalian MEP, the compromise contains the following key points:
The “Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages in the European Union” sets, among other things, EU-wide procedural standards for the setting, updating and enforcing of statutory minimum wages;
the framework includes provisions to promote collective bargaining on wage-setting;
the directive requires the Member States to establish action plans to increase collective bargaining coverage if the latter is below 80 per cent.
“It was a tough job and we wrestled with the Council and the Commission until the very last moment”, Radtke assesses the agreement. “But I may say – it was worth it! Political soapbox speeches about the dignity of work are now finally being filled with life throughout the EU. The implementation of the standards set out in this directive will make a crucial difference in the lives of millions of workers with low and sometimes even existence-threatening wages.”
Together with his Dutch MEP colleague Agnes Jongerius (S&D), Radtke led the negotiations on the side of the Parliament. Parliament, Council and Commission are now working on the technical details of this deal. The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council is expected to take a decision on June 16. After that, the European Parliament must confirm the informally agreed text.
Der Kompromiss zu Europäischen Mindestlöhnen heute Nacht ist echter Rückenwind für soziale Marktwirtschaft in #Europa. Stärkere Tarifbindung und ein klarer Rahmen für faire Mindestlöhne! #Mindestlohn#minimumwagespic.twitter.com/Eb8cxDj3iO
With antisemitism worryingly on the rise in Europe and beyond, the European Union is beginning to implement the first ever EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. EU regions and cities have a crucial role in protecting and promoting Jewish cultural heritage as a vital part of Europe’s culture and way of life.
Presenting the European Committee of the Regions’ opinion at the plenary session last week, rapporteur János Adam Karácsony (HU/ECR) underlined that the fight against antisemitism is about safeguarding and demonstrating European core values. The Vice-President of the Pest Megye County Council welcomed that the EU strategy “includes a reference to the much-needed support for local and regional authorities to safeguard Jewish heritage and raise awareness of local Jewish culture and traditions” and suggested, for instance, that an action plan could be developed to revitalise Jewish quarters in European cities.
The opinion highlights the importance of education in preserving memory of Holocaust, dismantling prejudices against Jews and raising awareness of Jewish culture and history. “The purpose of combatting antisemitism is not just protection of Jewish community but the community of all European nations whose foundation is a commitment to shared values”, Mr Karácsony concluded.
“Antisemitism is a poison to society, a threat to our EU values and everything that the EU stands for. If we fail to ensure future for Jews in Europe, European project will have failed”, stressed Katharina von Schnurbein, the European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism. She regretted that security concerns have led to Jews leaving some European countries and pointed out that “if the actions at EU level don’t trigger down to cities and regions, little will change for the Jewish community”.
Ms von Schnurbein warned against increasing antisemitic hate speech and conspiracy theories online and welcomed that the Czech EU Council Presidency will address the topic in a specific conference in November. She also accused Russia for using the Holocaust and false claims of denazification to justify the brutal invasion of Ukraine.
President Metsola expressed her condolences to those injured and to the relatives of those who died in a train accident in Bavaria on 3 June, at the opening of the session.
Outgoing MEPs
Chrysoula Zacharopoulou (Renew, France) as of 19 May 2022.
Incoming MEPs
Max Orville (Renew, France) as of 20 May 2022.
Changes to the agenda
Tuesday
As Mr Borrell cannot attend this part-session in Strasbourg, the Question Time with the High Representative, scheduled for Tuesday as the third item in the afternoon, is cancelled.
Wednesday
Council and Commission statements on “The massacre of Christians in Nigeria” are added to the agenda.
Thursday
The debate on Tuesday on the Council and Commission statements on “The rule of law and the potential approval of the Polish national Recovery Plan (RRF)” will be wound up with a resolution to be put to the vote on Thursday.
Information concerning the distribution of votes is available on the website of the European Parliament under the section “Priority information”.
Requests by committees to start negotiations with Council and Commission
Decisions by committees to enter into inter-institutional negotiations (Rule 72) are published on the plenary website.
If no request for a vote in Parliament on the decision to enter into negotiations is made by Tuesday 12.00 midnight, the committees may start negotiations.
Allegations of sexual violence by Russian troops in Ukraine are mounting, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Monday, expressing regret over a stark discrepancy between that painful reality, and the global community’s ambition to end the use of rape as a weapon of war.
Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict, recalled her recent visit to Ukraine and outlined the elements of a recently signed Framework of Cooperation on the Prevention and Response to Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, which seeks to strengthen accountability and combat those abhorrent crimes.
“Too often have the needs of women and girls in conflict settings been side-lined and treated as an afterthought,” she said, welcoming that fact that the newly signed Framework makes them an explicit priority.
Recalling the Council’s many resolutions – backed up by international law – prohibiting the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, the Special Representative highlighted the gaping chasm between those commitments and the situation of many women around the world.
“Painfully, my visit cast into stark relief the gap that still exists between the aspiration of prevention expressed by this Council through the robust normative framework that has been established over the past decade, and the reality on the ground for the most vulnerable,” she said.
As of 3 June, the Human Rights Monitoring Team of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had received reports of 124 alleged acts of conflict-related sexual across Ukraine.
UN Photo
Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, briefs members of the UN Security Council.
Forced to watch
Women and girls constituted most of the alleged victims, while some reporting instances of sexual violence were also men and boys.
A national hotline on domestic violence, human trafficking and gender-based discrimination has been set up, and has received multiple shocking reports ranging from gang rape, to coercion, where loved ones are forced to watch an act of sexual violence committed against a partner or a child.
Urgent action
Against that backdrop, Ms. Patten urged humanitarian actors to prioritize support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence as a life-saving component of their work.
She also warned against waiting too long to act.
“An active battle-ground is never conducive to accurate ‘book-keeping’ […] if we wait for hard data and statistics, it will always be too late,” she said, calling on the international community to mobilize immediately.
“We do not need hard data for a scaled-up humanitarian response, nor for all parties to put in place preventive measures,” she added.
Trafficking risks ‘alarmingly evident’
Detailing the provisions of the recently signed Framework of Cooperation, she said it will help strengthen cooperation between those working to combat and deter sexual violence in Ukraine.
It also aims to reduce the risk posed by human traffickers to those fleeing Ukraine, and to provide services to victims.
However, she cautioned that the protection challenges facing the nearly 6.8 million people who have fled the country are unprecedented, and the heightened risks of trafficking in persons – including for purposes of sexual exploitation and prostitution – have been “alarmingly evident” since the start of the conflict.
Against that backdrop, she urged the Council and the global donor community to stand in solidarity with Ukrainian authorities and UN entities to support the Framework’s implementation.
“It is crucial to ensure that the level of political focus, as well as the allocation of resources for a comprehensive response, is commensurate with the scale and complexity of the problem,” she said.
According to the unanimous opinion of the competent specialists in international relations, the special military operation is the last and decisive chord in the process of transition from a unipolar to a multipolar world.
Multipolarity sometimes seems intuitive, but once we try to give precise definitions or a correct theoretical description, everything becomes less obvious. I believe that today my work “Theory of the Multipolar World” is more relevant than ever. But since people have forgotten to read – especially voluminous theoretical texts, will try to share the basics.
The main actor in a multipolar world order is not the nation state (as in the theory of realism in international relations), but neither is the world government (as in the theory of liberalism in international relations). This is the State-Civilization. Other names for this are “Great Space”, “Empire”, “Ecumenical”.
The term “civilization state” is most commonly used in China. Both ancient and modern. Since ancient times, the Chinese have developed the theory of “Tiansha”,” China “, according to which China is the center of the world, as a meeting place of the unifying Heaven and the dividing Earth. In addition, the “Celestial Empire” can be a single state or it can be dismantled and then reassembled. In addition, Khan’s China itself is a culturally forming principle for neighboring nations that are not directly part of China – mainly Korea, Vietnam, Indochina and even fairly independent Japan.
The nation-state is a product of the European modern age, and in some cases a post-colonial construction. The State-Civilization has ancient roots and … indefinitely changing borders. The state-civilization sometimes pulsates – now expanding, now narrowing, but always remaining a constant phenomenon.
Modern China adheres to international politics strictly according to the Tianxi principle. The One Road, One Belt initiative is an excellent example of what this looks like in practice. And the Chinese Internet, which disrupts all kinds of networks and resources that could weaken the civilizational identity at China’s entrance, demonstrates how to build defense mechanisms.
The state-civilization can interact with the outside world, but never depends on it and always retains self-sufficiency, autonomy and autarchy.
The state-Civilization is always more than a state both in the spatial and in the temporal (historical) aspect.
Russia is increasingly gravitating towards the same status. After the beginning of the SVO, this became not just a wish, but an urgent need. As in the case of China, Russia has every reason to claim that it is a civilization. This theory was most fully developed by the Russian Eurasianists, who introduced the concept of “world state” or – which is the same – “Russian world”. Continent-Russia. In fact, the Russia-Eurasia concept is a direct indication of Russia’s civilizational status. Russia is more than a nation state (which is the Russian Federation). Russia is a separate world.
Russia was a civilization in the era of the Empire and remained so in the Soviet era. Ideologies and regimes have changed, but the identity has remained the same.
The struggle for Ukraine is nothing but a struggle for the State-Civilization. The same applies to the peaceful union of Russia and Belarus and the economic integration of the post-Soviet Eurasian space.
The multipolar world consists of States-Civilizations. This is a kind of world of worlds, a megacosmos that includes entire galaxies. And here it is important to determine how many such states-civilizations can even theoretically exist?
Of course, India belongs to this type, it is a typical State-Civilization, which even today has sufficient potential to become a full participant in international politics.
Then the Islamic world – from Indonesia to Morocco. Here, the division of countries and different ethnocultural enclaves still does not allow us to talk about political unity. There is an Islamic civilization, but the question of its assembly in the State-Civilization is quite problematic. Moreover, the history of Islam knows several types of Civilizations – from the Caliphate (First, Umayyad, Abbasid, etc.) to the three components of the empire of Genghis Khan, who turned to / accepted / Islam / the Golden Horde, the state of the Ilhans. and the ulus Chagatai), the Persian Safavid state, the Mughal state, and finally the Ottoman Empire. The boundaries once drawn are still relevant today. But the process of assembling them into one structure requires considerable time and effort.
Latin America and Africa are in the same situation – two macro-civilizations that remain quite separate. But the multipolar world will in one way or another push the integration processes in all these areas.
Now the most important thing: what to do with the West? The theory of the multipolar world is absent in the nomenclature of theories of international relations in the modern West.
Today, the dominant paradigm there is liberalism, which generally denies all sovereignty and any autonomy, abolishes civilizations and religions, ethnic groups and cultures, replacing them with violent liberal ideology, the concept of “human rights”, individualism (leading to borders) of gender and transgender policy), materialism and technical progress, elevated to the highest value (Artificial Intelligence). The goal of liberalism is to abolish nation-states and create a World Government based on Western norms and rules.
This line was followed by Biden and the modern Democratic Party in the United States, as well as by most European rulers. This is globalism. He categorically rejects the State-Civilization and any hint of multipolarity. That is why the West is ready for war with Russia and China. In a sense, this war is already being fought – in Ukraine and in the Pacific (the problem of Taiwan), but for now it relies on proxy actors.
There is another influential school in the West – realism in international relations. Here, the nation-state is considered a necessary element of the world order, but only those who have managed to achieve a high level of economic, military-strategic and technological development have sovereignty – almost always at the expense of others.
If liberals see the future in the creation of a World Government, then realists see the future in a union of leading Western powers that establish global rules in their interest. Again, both in theory and in practice, the State-Civilization and the multipolar world are categorically rejected.
This creates a fundamental conflict already at the level of theory. And the lack of mutual understanding here leads to the most radical consequences at the level of direct confrontation.
In the eyes of proponents of multipolarity, the West is also a State-Civilization or even two – North American and European. But Western intellectuals disagree: they have no theoretical framework for this – they know either liberalism or realism, and no multipolarity.
However, there are exceptions among Western theorists, such as Samuel Huntington or Fabio Petito. They, unlike the overwhelming majority, recognize multipolarity and the emergence of new players in the form of civilizations. This is encouraging, because with such ideas it is possible to build a bridge from the proponents of multipolarity (Russia, China, etc.) to the West. At least such a bridge would make negotiations possible. Meanwhile, the West categorically rejects multipolarity and the very concept of “State-Civilization”, the conversation will be held only at the level of a clash of brute force – from military action to economic blockade, information and sanctions wars, etc.
One last thing. To win this war and defend itself, Russia itself must first have a clear understanding of multipolarity. We are already fighting for it, but we still do not fully understand what it is. Therefore, the liberal think tanks created during the Gorbachev-Yeltsin period should be disbanded urgently and new ones should be created – multipolar.
It is also necessary to build the educational paradigm itself – especially at MGIMO, Moscow State University, the Russian University for Friendship of Peoples, the Maurice Thorez Institute, the Diplomatic Academy and specialized universities. Finally, let us really turn to the expanded and full-fledged Eurasian school of thought, which has proved its maximum relevance, but against which open and covert Atlanticists and foreign agents who have penetrated deep into our society continue to fight.
Source: On Russia-Eurasia concept – Pogled.info / 01.06.2022
Relationships make us better – a proven fact. But did you know that romantic connections affect us more than we usually think? We talk about scientific facts that will make you wonder.
Love, romance, passion – all these are integral components of human life. Or rather, most people. If you’ve never been in a romantic relationship before, these scientifically proven facts about love might spur you on. This feeling is important and beneficial not only psychologically and emotionally, but also physically: it helps to better cope with pain and heals wounds.
Healthy relationships make people more confident and increase self-esteem
Lovers help each other to look at the world more positively, increase self-esteem and make the partner more self-confident.
One of the most striking effects of love magic on our body, which has not only been repeatedly proven scientifically, but also personally verified by people who have been in a romantic relationship at least once, is an increase in self-esteem. Lovers, showing sympathy for each other, providing support and attention, help the partner restore or even increase self-esteem, make the loved one more confident in themselves and help perceive the world around them with a positive attitude.
Lovers lower blood pressure
Science has proven that people who have a soul mate in their lives have fewer problems with blood pressure.
A happy marriage or just a romantic relationship is good for blood pressure. This is the conclusion of scientists who published the results of a scientific analysis in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Researchers have found that people in comfortable romantic relationships or marriages have the fewest problems with high blood pressure, because the “love hormone” helps stabilize them.
The hormone of love works better than any painkiller
Scientific fact: love relationships help our body cope with pain.
It may sound incredible, but love relationships help the body cope with pain. In particular, because of the hormone that is produced in lovers – oxytocin. It is also called the love hormone. According to scientists from the Stanford University School of Medicine, headaches in people under the influence of oxytocin either disappear altogether or are disturbed several times less than when they were alone.
Another scientific experiment by researchers from the same school showed that people who looked at photographs of their lovers accelerated the work of departments in the brain that usually work for a “reward”, which in general can help the body dull pain (both moral and physical). ) and better deal with it.
The couples’ heartbeats are synchronized
In loving people who are in a relationship for a long time, heart rhythms are synchronized.
Two hearts beat in unison – this is not only a beautiful phrase, but also a scientifically proven fact. In loving people who have been in a relationship for a long time, heart rates do indeed synchronize when partners are near each other. This was proved by scientists from the University of Illinois: using a heart monitor, they recorded, measured and compared the pulse of ten elderly couples who have been married for a long time. The result shocked scientists, but proved that love can become a catalyst for even such changes.
People in romantic relationships have less anxiety
Long-term romantic relationships can help reduce levels of anxiety and worry.
If we talk about reducing anxiety, here you need to take into account the factor of duration. It is a long relationship with a loved one who consistently shows interest, attention and desire for you that will help reduce anxiety. Researchers at the State University of New York at Stony Brook have used MRI to study the brains of people in love.
People in romantic relationships are less likely to contract viruses
People who love each other are less likely to get sick after exposure to cold or flu viruses.
As you already understood, love relationships can reduce stress, anxiety and anxiety. So it’s a fact that love can actually boost our immune system. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that people who show positive emotions, and that’s exactly what happens in romantic relationships, are less likely to get sick after exposure to cold or flu viruses. A study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine compared people who were happy and calm with those who seemed anxious or depressed.
Wounds and minor injuries in people in relationships heal faster
People in happy relationships have higher regeneration than those who are single or unhappy with their soul mate.
Everyone remembers how in childhood they ran to mom or dad with a cut finger so that the parent would kiss the wound and it would heal faster? Who would have thought, but it really works. Scientists at the Ohio State University Medical Center conducted a small experiment in which they gathered loving partners and couples in whom relationships were strained and inflicted small wounds on them. The results of the study showed that people in happy relationships have several times higher regeneration, that is, the wounds healed faster.
Married people have longer life expectancy
It turned out that people in relationships or in marriage live much longer than single people.
Perhaps the most important and significant scientifically proven fact: people in relationships and / or in marriage live longer than single people. And their life, as can be understood from the points above, is somewhat simpler and more pleasant than that of those who avoid linking fate with another person. Using health survey data, the researchers found that people who have never been in a romantic relationship are 58% more likely to die prematurely than those who are married. According to one of the scientists, married people live longer because they feel unity with another person, they know that they are loved, they will always be supported and helped.
Members of the Historical Remembrance Group of the European Parliament appealed to the self-government of the Belgian city of Zedelgem with a request to preserve the monument “Latvian Hive of Freedom”, dedicated to Latvian soldiers who were drafted into the legion and imprisoned in the Zedelgem prisoner of war camp after World War II.
“When I learned that the monument dedicated to the Latvian soldiers was under threat of demolition, I realized that urgent action was needed. Therefore, I called on colleagues with whom we work in the EP Historical Memory Group to contact the mayor of Zedelgem and the deputies, explaining to them the historical the significance of this monument, refuting the false claims and asking to keep it,” explained the member of the European Parliament, Inese Vaidere.
According to the MP, the proposal to demolish the monument appeared recently and was published in several Belgian media. It reported that representatives of several local political forces put pressure on the local government of Zedelgem in order to dismantle the memorial.
This is based on the argument that the monument to the Latvian legionnaires “glorifies Nazi collaborators”. As a result of pressure, Zedelgem’s self-government decided to rename Freedom Square, on which the monument is located, as well as to change the plaque placed on the monument.
“It is clear that local politicians not only lack understanding of historical facts, but they are also subject to ‘pressure from outside’.
Therefore, in the letter, we explain that the Latvian legionnaires were mobilized into the armed forces of Nazi Germany against their will and it is internationally recognized that the Latvian legion has nothing to do with Nazi crimes against humanity. We also emphasize that it was Soviet propaganda that created the false idea that our legionnaires should be equated with the Nazis, and this disinformation is still actively spread by Russia in order to denigrate Latvia,” the deputy added.
The letter sent to Vaidere was signed by MEPs from various EU countries and political groups, and she hopes that the MEPs in Zedelgem will listen to the arguments and preserve the monument, as “the destruction of this memorial will be directed against all those who fought in the Second World War not at will.”
The monument to 12,000 Latvian prisoners of war “Latvian Hive of Freedom” was opened in Zedelgeme in 2018 by Mayor Annika Vermeulen, then Latvian Ambassador to Belgium Ilze Ruse and Chairman of the Board of the Society of the Latvian Occupation Museum Valters Nollendorfs. The author of the monument, sculptor Kristaps Gulbis, explained that the bees who created the hive are peaceful – they do not attack anyone, but protect their hive and freedom.
The renovated Museum of the Occupation of Latvia and its extension “House of the Future” were put into operation in the summer of 2020, said Kitija Grushkevicha, member of the board of Valsts nekustamie īpašumi (VNI).
She recalled that there had been obstacles to the implementation of this reconstruction project for more than ten years, but last year, thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development and VNI, the project finally moved forward.
The Chairman of the Board of the Association of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Walter Nollendorf, added that the museum had been in temporary premises for seven years already, and this is too long a period.
Nollendorf also emphasized that both the permanent exhibition and museum collections – written and video evidence – are located in the renovated and rebuilt museum premises. Modern study rooms and conference rooms are also available.
In total, the Ministry of Culture raised 8.9 million euros from the state budget for the reconstruction of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia and the creation of a memorial complex dedicated to the victims of the Soviet occupation.
UNICEF’s Guide for Parents and Teachers Helping Children Cope with the Stress of War
Children should not live in a state of war! And point! But creating an information vacuum around the child, if this happens, is a mistaken tactic. For the most difficult and frightening topic in communication, you need to be able to find the right words, and not mindlessly sow fear in small hearts and panic in fragile minds.
We encourage you to read these excerpts from UNICEF’s Helping Children Cope with the Stress of War for parents and teachers.
Listen to children:
• Choose a time and place for your child to ask you all their questions. Do not force children to talk about something until they are ready for it.
• Remember that children tend to personalize situations. For example, they may worry about friends or relatives who live in a city or country associated with special operations or other tragic events.
• Help children find the best way to express their feelings. Some children may refuse to talk about their thoughts, feelings, or fears. But they may like the idea of drawing matching pictures, acting out scenes with toys, or even writing stories or poetry.
Answer the children’s questions:
• Use words and terms that your child understands. Make your explanation appropriate to your child’s age and level of understanding. Don’t overload your child with too much information.
• Give children honest answers and information. Children will usually know if you are lying to them.
• Be prepared to repeat explanations or have several conversations. Some information may be difficult to accept or understand. By asking the same question over and over again, your child may ask for comfort.
• Recognize and support your child’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions. Let him know that you consider his questions and concerns to be important.
• Avoid stereotyping groups of people based on race, nationality, or religion. Use this opportunity to teach them tolerance and remove prejudice.
• Remember that children learn by watching their parents and mentors. They are very interested in how you react to events. They learn by listening to your conversations with other adults.
Support children:
• Prevent children from watching a lot of violent or upsetting images on TV or on the Internet. Repetitive frightening images or scenes can be very disturbing, especially for little ones.
• Coordinate information sharing between home and school. Parents should be aware of activities and discussions at school. Teachers should be aware of a child’s specific fears or concerns.
• Children who have previously experienced trauma or loss may react more intensely to tragedy or news of war or terrorist attacks. These children may need extra support and attention.
• Watch for physical symptoms associated with stress. Many children show their inner anxiety by complaining of physical pain.
• Watch out for possible preoccupation with violent films or war video/computer games.
• Children who appear anxious or very stressed because of war, fighting or terrorism should be evaluated by a qualified mental health professional. Other signs that a child may need professional help include: persistent sleep problems, persistent disturbing thoughts, terrifying images, intense fears of death, and problems leaving parents or attending school. A pediatrician can help with appropriate referrals.
• Help children connect with others and express themselves. Some children may want to write letters to the president, governor, local newspaper, or grieving families.
• Let children be children. They may not want to think or talk much about these events. It’s okay if they prefer to play ball, climb trees, ride a bike, etc.
Military action and terrorism are not easy to understand or accept. Understandably, many young children feel confused, frustrated, and anxious. Parents, teachers, and caring adults can help by listening and answering honestly, consistently, and graciously. Remember that most children, even those who have been traumatized, are fairly resilient. Like most adults, they can and do go through hard times and get on with their lives.
