Newsroom
Cyprus’ Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, Elena Pericleous, visited a state-run accommodation facility on Wednesday after a troubling incident in which a child was found outside the building and unable to get in, a case first brought to light by national broadcaster RIK.
Pericleous told CNA she went straight to the site to check on the child’s wellbeing and get a clear picture of what happened. She spoke directly with the child and has asked the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare to launch an official investigation before she issues any conclusions.
“I wanted to make sure that revising the protocol wouldn’t drag on,” she said, explaining that the goal is to quickly identify any gaps in procedure and fix them so nothing like this happens again.
When asked whether she has been fully briefed, Pericleous said she received a verbal rundown of what led up to the incident and how staff handled it. She said she spotted several “gray areas” in the process and discussed them with the facility’s team. She’s now waiting for the Social Welfare Services director to deliver an official assessment.
“The fact that the child ended up outside the facility shows that the current protocol simply wasn’t enough,” she said.
Pericleous added that she already knows what triggered the incident but will hold off on making any public statements until the investigation is finalized. She noted that the child’s assessment, including a pending component that was completed on Wednesday, is now fully done.
She also contacted the child’s mother, who has been called in for a meeting today.
“As an office, we will make sure everything necessary is done to protect this child,” Pericleous said.
