In accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

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Considering, as stated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, that the child, due to his physical and mental immaturity, needs special protection and care, including legal protection, both before and after his birth, the need to provide the child special protection was already proclaimed in the Geneva Declaration of 1924 on the rights of the child and in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1959 and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on civil and political rights (in particular in articles 23 and 24), in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (in particular in article 10) and in the statutes and competent bodies of specialized agencies and international organizations that provide for the well-being of the child.

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Finally, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989. Greece signed the Convention on January 26, 1990 and ratified it on December 2, 1992 (Law 2101/1992).

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The purpose of this is to defend and ensure the rights of children and young people during their contact with the Hellenic Society of Positive Psychology and for the purposes of their psycho-social maturation and helping them to become complete personalities and to live an individual life in society and in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity. At the same time, taking all the necessary measures so that all the actions and programs of the Company are absolutely safe and suitable for the protection of the personality and the physical, emotional, psychological and intellectual health of the children.

DEFINITIONS

For the purposes hereof:

CHILD: Based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a child is defined as any human being under eighteen (18) years of age, unless majority is reached earlier according to the law applicable to the child.

CHILD PROTECTION: The rules and commitments that govern the operation of the Company during the development of its activities and operations and the actions it undertakes with the aim of primarily preventing but also combating all forms of child abuse.

CHILD ABUSE: Based on the World Health Organization, “Child abuse or maltreatment includes all forms of physical or emotional maltreatment, sexual violation, neglect or negligent treatment, or exploitation for commercial purposes, which results in specific or potential damage concerning the life and development of the child, in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust and power".

DIRECT CONTACT WITH CHILDREN / WORK WITH CHILDREN: The physical contact and live communication of the Company's staff with children during the execution of the various tasks and actions. The duration of physical contact between staff and children does not affect the fact.

INDIRECT CONTACT WITH CHILDREN: Staff access to various information, and personal data such as case studies, names, addresses, photographs, family environment, religious habits and beliefs.

STAFF: All employees of the Hellenic Society of Positive Psychology, including temporary partners and volunteers.

CHILD PROTECTION RULES

All those cooperating in any way with the Hellenic Society of Positive Psychology are obliged during work, study, research:

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• To treat every child without any discrimination of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other beliefs of the child or his parents or legal representatives or guardians or their national, ethnic or social origin, their property status, of their incapacity, any disability, their birth or any other condition.

• To respect the responsibility, right and duty of the parents or, where applicable, members of the extended family or community, as provided by local customs, guardians or other persons who have legal responsibility for the child.

• Respect the child's right to maintain his identity, including his nationality, name and family relations, as recognized by law, without unlawful interference.

• To provide and guarantee to the child who has the ability to discriminate the right to freely express his opinion on any matter that concerns him, taking into account his views according to his age and degree of maturity. In order to assess whether the child has the ability to discriminate, age, education, cultural background and any learning difficulties or disabilities should be taken into account, based on the rules and lessons of science as well as the personal judgment of the researcher.

• To create those conditions that will provide the child - during his participation in the Company's activities, work, research and studies - with a sense of security and care with the sole focus of his interest.

• Not to commit to the child for things that do not touch their competence, to be honest regarding their goals and actions, always based on the measure of the psychosocial development and perception of each child.

• To inform the children, in the language they understand, about the nature and purposes of the research.

• To provide children with the opportunity to freely choose whether or not to participate in the Company's actions, without any form of direct or indirect pressure or direction towards any choice.

• To respect the wishes of every child who for any reason chooses to leave.

• To always ask for the written consent of the parents, representatives or guardians of the children who will participate before carrying out any action, work, study or research, and in case the child is considered mature enough to give his/her own consent to receive the his own consent. In assessing whether the child can give consent, age, education, cultural background and any learning difficulties or disabilities should be taken into account, based on the rules and lessons of science and personal judgment researcher.

• Be especially careful if they perceive any form of child abuse. To evaluate and investigate the event and, in case it is deemed necessary, to legally inform any competent body for the purpose of the child's protection and well-being.

• To ensure that in the event that a personal interview with the child is deemed necessary, that the child feels comfortable, that he does not feel that he is afraid, threatened or isolated. Have visual access to the space or an open door.

• To ensure that the materials that may be used during the Company's actions are made of safe, non-toxic materials in order to prevent any harm to the children.

• Avoid any unnecessary physical contact with children. In case of necessity, they should ensure that the physical contact is of limited duration and absolutely necessary for the purposes of the action or providing first aid to the child. In any case, the child's age, level of perception, stage of development, gender, nationality and cultural and social background should always be taken into account.

• To evaluate each case and each child differently, based on their particularities and needs.

• To ensure that any action or investigation is approved by the relevant ministry before it is carried out.

• To cooperate with institutions and authorities and to promote actions for the protection and well-being of children.

• To make recommendations and proposals for the more effective protection of children, based on the results of their research and studies, within the context of the collective action of the Company and after consultation with the competent bodies of EETHEPSY.

• To immediately report to any competent body anything that comes to their attention and concerns any kind of child abuse, always in consultation with the heads of the Company.

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In any case, the Hellenic Society of Positive Psychology (EETHEPSY) reserves the right to control its staff, partners and volunteers so that a) they have the necessary knowledge / expertise / experience regarding working with children and do not undertake actions that they do not can be adequately managed, b) request the presentation of a criminal record certificate from which it can be seen that the potential partner or volunteer has not been accused or convicted in the past of crimes against children.

The Hellenic Society of Positive Psychology operates and acts in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the American Psychological Association ( www.apa.org/ethics/code/ ), subscribes to and accepts the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) , the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote 2007), the provisions of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules), the legal and social principles relating to the protection and welfare of children, especially in relation to adoption and foster care at national and international levels and the Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict, the Charter Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the Convention of the Council of Europe on human a rights, of Law 3500/2006 on domestic violence and in general of all relevant legislation with the protection and rights of the child, which it considers an integral part of this.