Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University hosted the 2024 International Safeguarding Conference, the fourth iteration of an annual conference designed to address forms of abuse and foster unity in taking steps to protect children and vulnerable adults. The June 18-21 event was attended by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who addressed the crowd on the topic of justice in relation to abuse.
Organized by the university’s Institute of Anthropology, which began in 2012 as a Center for the Protection of Minors, the meeting convened under the theme of “Safeguarding and Disability.” The program saw experts, both consecrated and lay, speak on “the care of children and adults” with an emphasis on those with disabilities, as this places them in greater vulnerability.
Work still needed
Vatican News pointed towards a report from the World Health Organization that estimates that some 16% of the global population lives with a “significant disability.” In his speech, Cardinal Parolin appreciated the efforts of the international community to make progress in recognizing the rights of those with disabilities but noted that there is more work that needs to be done on a global scale.
"About one in five people worldwide lives with some form of disability, and people with disabilities are more vulnerable to various types of abuse and physical and psychological violence," Cardinal Parolin said in his speech. "Here, we have the opportunity to overcome various barriers, meet, and discuss ways to combat abuse."
Sessions of the conference addressed such concerns as the geographical and social influences of a cultural approach to disability, the inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in the life of the Church, and the difficulties that people with disabilities face in recognizing and reporting possible abuses.
Promoters of the conference explained that its goal is to create "a space for training and preparing Church leaders to address situations of abuse and violence against people with disabilities."
