HFC "Hope For Children" CRC Policy Center

EU Legislative Interests

HFC's activities cover EU concerns and priorities mainly related to the work carried out in the field of children's rights. HFC is operating shelters for unaccompanied children offering holistic and interdisciplinary services. HFC also operates the European harmonised Hotline numbers 116111 and 116000 and provide recommendations within the framework of enhanced child protection systems in areas like migration, asylum, employability of NEET youth, guardianship, sexual violence towards minors, non-formal education etc. HFC operates the Children's House, based on Barnahus model, a child-friendly, interdisciplinary and multiagency center whereby different professionals work under one roof in investigating suspected child sexual abuse cases and provide appropriate support for child victims. HFC representatives have participated in meetings with different decision makers and officials at the EU level, e.g. European Forum on the Rights of the Child and at the international level, e.g. WISE Summit in Doha, Qatar. In October 2025, HFC was appointed as a member of the European Commission's newly established Network for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. The main EU policies and initiatives targeted include the The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee, the EU Youth Strategy, EU migration policies applicable to unaccompanied minors and gaps in national child protection systems, the "No place for hate: a Europe united against hatred" initiative, The Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and the European Commission's policy initiatives in the field of prevention of child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children online and offline.

Communication Activities

HFC is actively advocating for the rights of children and promoting its work in this field to a broad range of stakeholders spanning authorities and decision-makers, civil society organisations, professionals working with children, parents, the public, and children and youth themselves. Other recent communication activities include: - Promotion of the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse and call for the gathering of reliable, comprehensive and systematic data: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/hope-children-protecting-children-sexual-abuse-begins-reliable-data - Article on the educational seminar titled “Supporting Child Victims of Abuse in the Criminal Justice Process”, organised by HFC together with the “FONI” Council and the Academy of the Law Office of the Republic of Cyprus: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/educational-seminar-supporting-child-victims-abuse-criminal-justice-process - Promotion of the award ceremony for the Council of Europe’s Crystal Scales of Justice prize, organised by HFC (and promotion of child-friendly justice during the event): https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/crystal-scales-justice-award-ceremony - Summer School 2025 to enhance children's leadership, communication, and organisational skills, develop critical thinking, and enrich their knowledge on child protection issues: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/hope-children-summer-school-2025-successfully-completed - Publication of the Gender Equality Report and Youth Climate Actions Toolkit, developed in the framework of the SUBLIME SDGs EU-funded project: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/sublime-project-and-gender-equality-report - Publication of HFC's participation in the "Strengthening EU Action to Prevent and Protect Children from Sexual Abuse" seminar at the European Parliament: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/strengthening-eu-action-prevent-and-protect-children-sexual-abuse - Publication of HFC's participation in the 19th European Congress of Psychology (ECP 2025) to present approaches to child-friendly justice: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/hope-children-crc-policy-center-participated-19th-european-congress-psychology-ecp-2025 - Promotion of the 15th anniversary of the Lanzarote Committee and HFC's work to prevent child sexual abuse: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/hope-children-celebrates-15-years-lanzarote-convention - Promotion of webinar on the International Standards on Child Safeguarding by Keeping Children Safe, held in the framework of the Safe in Town EU-funded project: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/webinar-international-standards-child-safeguarding - Article on the impact of hate speech on mental and physical health of youth, produced in the framework of EU-funded project Hate Trackers Into Action: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/hate-speech-and-its-impact-both-mental-and-physical-health-youth - Promotion of the International Child Helpline Day and HFC's related services to children and families: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/may-17th-international-child-helpline-day - Publication of the peer exchange meeting between HFC and a delegation from Croatia’s Center for Missing and Exploited Children on best practices in supporting child victims of abuse, held in Cyprus: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/hope-children-hosts-peer-exchange-meeting-croatia-childrens-house - Celebration of activities by youth to tackle hate speech in the framework of the Hate Trackers Beyond Borders EU-funded project: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/young-activists-create-video-tackle-hate-speech - Promotion of the resources developed in the framework of the FORM EU-funded project: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/form-project-coming-closure - Publication of HFC's participation in the study visits to share best practices for guardianship systems, in the framework of the Guard-Up EU-funded project: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/article/hope-children-attends-eu-projects-guard-study-visits-share-best-practices-guardianship-systems

Interests Represented

Does not represent commercial interests

Member Of

HFC has initiated and established close cooperation with institutions and actors on an international and European level, including legislative, executive and judicial instruments, and it is a member of significant networks to further promote the rights of the child on a global scale. HFC is a member of the following: Observatory status at the Council of Europe’s Lanzarote Committee Participatory status at the Council of Europe’s Conference of International Non-governmental Organizations (INGOs) Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child of the Council of Europe Founding member of the European Guardianship Network (EGN) Cooperating partner of the Council of Europe for the ONE in FIVE Campaign Member of the European Federation Missing Children Europe Member of Child Rights Connect Participant in the Fundamental Rights Platform (FRP) Founding member of PROMISE Barnahus Network Member of the Anna Lindh Foundation Euromed Network Founder and Coordinator of the Network CHAIRS of the CRC Policy Center National Focal Point for the European Juvenile Justice Observatory Member of the Destination Unknown Campaign Founding Member of the INTEGRA network Member of the SexSense network Member of the ECPAT International network Member of the European Commission expert group Network for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse

Organisation Members

"Hope For Children" CRC Policy Center USA: https://www.uncrcpc.org/ "Hope For Children" CRC Policy Center Hungary: www.hopeforchildren.hu/ Chairs of the CRC Policy Center programme: https://uncrcpc.org.cy/teams/chairs-crc-policy-center