Teddy Bears

Amnesty International, Innocence en Danger, and La voix des survivant(e)s called for a demonstration in Luxembourg City at 3pm on Saturday. The demand: immediate improvements to child protection against violence. Protesters were asked to bring a teddy bear as a symbol of support.[1]

A teddy bear. The symbol of childhood. The object a child holds when they are scared. The object a child holds when they are alone. The object a child holds when the adults are not protecting them. The adults are not protecting them. The teddy bear is the protest.[1]

Weekly

The demonstration comes against the backdrop of weekly reports of child rape in Luxembourg. Weekly. Every week. A report. A child. A rape. The reports come every week. The demonstration came once.[1]

The protest also follows the case of Lyhanna, an eleven-year-old girl in France killed by a man with a history of sexual offences, despite previous warnings about the danger he posed. The failings that led to her death have sparked outrage beyond France's borders. The warnings were there. The warnings were ignored. The girl is dead. The warnings are still there, in Luxembourg, every week.[1]

The open letter

Around a month ago, La voix des survivant(e)s addressed an open letter to Prime Minister Luc Frieden in connection with the Lyhanna case. They have yet to receive a response. The letter was sent a month ago. The response has not been sent. The Prime Minister is in 12th place in the polls. The Prime Minister does not visit neighbourhoods. The Prime Minister does not answer letters about dead children.[1]

Dismissed

The three organisations highlight that victims and their parents are still too often dismissed or not taken seriously when they report suspicions of abuse. They criticise the length of procedures in Luxembourg, arguing that the system is too slow to offer protection. Dismissed. Not taken seriously. Too slow. The system is too slow to protect a child. The child is not too slow to be harmed. The harm is faster than the system. The system takes months. The harm takes minutes. The teddy bear is faster than the system. The teddy bear is what the child has while the system decides.[1]

The poster

President Ana Pinto acknowledged recent progress and praised cooperation with police and prosecutors, but stressed further measures are needed. During the same interview, she addressed a controversy involving a campaign poster from the Ettelbruck Multidisciplinary Arts Centre (CAPE). The poster showed a young girl alongside the Luxembourgish slogan "there's something for everyone". Pinto argued the combination was sexually suggestive. CAPE apologised and withdrew the poster. Pinto welcomed the rapid response.[1]

The arts centre responded in a day. The Prime Minister has not responded in a month. The arts centre withdrew the poster. The Prime Minister did not withdraw the silence. The system is too slow to protect a child. The system was fast enough to withdraw a poster. The system knows what it is doing. The system is choosing what to be fast about.[1]