2_9_ScanMag_75_April_2015_Text_Q9_MADS_Scan Magazine 1 07/04/2015 22:01 Page 45
CH ILD
RE N’ SPE S C TH UNI IAL V T E LIT ERS HEM TL E – E: E ON CEL ES EB RA TIN
G
Photo: Peter Knutson
Kattis Ahlström, secretary general at BRIS. Photo: Thron Ullberg.
BRIS: making the world a better place for the youngest Since 1971, BRIS has been the largest NGO in Sweden working to promote and enforce children’s rights. The organisation, whose name is an abbreviation of the words ‘Barnens Rätt i Samhället’ (Children’s Rights In Society), is a voluntary establishment without political or religious affiliations, enabling it to focus entirely and unyieldingly on its ultimate goal: offering life-changing support for children and young people. By Julie Lindén | Photos: BRIS
It is through its team of educated counsellors who speak, email and chat online with children of all ages that the biggest difference is made, according to BRIS secretary general, Kattis Ahlström. “We have 17 counsellors on call who make an enormous effort to ensure that each child who contacts us gets the help they need. Sometimes one call is enough, but if more help is needed, we connect the child with the person, institution or authority best able to assist them in their situation. The most important thing is that first contact, plucking up the courage to speak with us.” BRIS’ core services consist of the support channels BRIS 116 111, the BRIS
email and the BRIS chat, to which children and young people up to the age of 18 can turn anonymously and free of charge. Thousands of children turn to BRIS for help every year, with more and more using the BRIS chatting tool to ask questions about everything from love to abuse. “We see that there is a lower threshold for written communication today, and that’s great in many ways,” says Ahlström. “Still, when needed, we try to establish phone contact with the child to let them verbally explain their troubles.” In addition to the children’s support services, there is the BRIS Adult Helpline – About Children, where BRIS guides adults on matters concerning children. “We have a lot of parents who call to discuss matters such as di-
vorce and separation, or teachers who call because they are worried about a child in their class,” explains Ahlström. A large part of BRIS’ work is centred on advocacy, something which emerges through chosen topics the organisation focuses on each year. In 2015 BRIS will be shining a light on violence against children. “We aim to increase awareness in general, and individual knowledge in particular. Sadly, knowledge about violence against children is not as prominent as it should be, and we want to help people grasp it and do something about it,” says Ahlström, concluding: “The most rewarding aspect of our work is seeing the difference it makes.” All work carried out by BRIS is founded on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
For more information, please visit:
www.bris.se
Issue 75 | April 2015 | 45