Protecting the Minors in our Schools. Preventing and responding to (sexualised) violence
JECSE and ZIP
Hybrid Safeguarding Conference
01-04 March 2022
Ludwigshafen, Germany
Jesuit schools are places where we want to provide high quality education in a safe and healthy environment. Only in this kind of setting can the children realise their full and holistic development. It is therefore our constant priority to promote and support a culture of protection and integrity within our school communities.
One of the activities undertaken jointly by the Jesuit European Committee for Primary and Secondary Eduaction (JECSE) and the Centre for Ignatian Pedagogy (ZIP) in this regard was the conference “Protecting the minors in our schools. Preventing and responding to (sexualised) violence”. From March 1st till March 4th 2022 more than 130 representatives of our schools from 23 countries, gathered in Ludwigshafen and online, to explore and discuss this extremely important issue.
On the first day of the meeting the guests were welcomed by Ms Agnieszka Baran, director of the JECSE and Ms Ulrike Gentner, director of the ZIP at Ludwigshafen’s Heinrich Pesch Haus. Introducing the theme of the meeting, the organisers invited everyone to pray for a minute in silence for the victims of the war in Ukraine, asking God for a speedy end of this armed conflict.
We are all called to create a real culture of protection in our schools
José Mesa SJ, Secretary for Education of the Society of Jesus in Rome, opening the conference stressed that it is an important step in the right direction, “because without a true culture of protection in our schools, Jesuit education cannot fulfil its promise – the promise of forming the whole person. This is not possible without a safe environment and a culture of respect. We must effectively protect young people and prevent abuse. That is why this conference is so important” he said – “so that words are followed by action”.
Franck Janin SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials and President of JECSE linked up online with conference participants from Brussels. In his opening speech, he pointed out that a lot was done in Jesuits schools in this topic in recent years, clear protocols and guidelines to protect young people were developed. He also stressed that “the goal is even more ambitious as we are invited to engage in building and promoting a culture of safeguarding, a culture of protection, a culture of integrity”. This, he said, is about changing the culture, about profound transformation of mentality, of habits, of the way we look at each other, speak to each other and how we respect each other. He called the conference a beginning in that direction, saying it was “a call to true conversion”, to which we are all called, especially at this time of Lent.
To start deepening awareness around safeguarding and protection topic Conference participants heard three speeches from Brian Flannery, JECSE Deputy Director; Susana Pradera Head of Safe Environment for the Society of Jesus in Spain; and Klaus Mertes SJ, former Rector of Canisius Kollege in Berlin. Referring to examples of abuse in the history of their countries, they