I am a dreamer, a believer and a doer. I am convinced that by working together and in a uniform and structural way through the Codigo di Proteccion, we can slowly but surely, like the mangroves that surround the island, absorb the heavy waves of social challenges and eventually turn the tide to create a calm, clear and safe pool for our children to grow, learn and thrive in. They deserve it.

A lot has been done in support of professionals. The digital toolkit Codigo di Proteccion is being developed for trainers, supervisors, and professionals. This toolkit is full of knowledge, tips, videos, and exercises to support the professionals in the four sectors on themes that have emerged from the field in working with the Codigo. The toolkit is developed by Augeo Foundation in close collaboration with the Aruban Content group, Departamento di Mucha y Hoben, Government of Aruba and UNICEF the Netherlands and co-funded by the European Union. You can find more information on www.codigodiproteccion.com.

In the month of June 2022 Clementia Eugene, PhD-candidate with collaboration of the team of the Codigo di Proteccion, did a survey to evaluate and measure the knowledge and experience of the professionals in four sectors: health, education, justice and social with the implementation of the Codigo di Proteccion. But we also wanted to get their points of reference for the quality improvements of Codigo di Proteccion, as well as increasing and securing the protection and safety of our children in Aruba.

The fifteen years I spent as a teacher, working particularly at secondary schools in San Nicolas, was marked by the realisation of the many socio-economic challenges families are exposed to. But I also learned that by changing the way we teach and approach the students we can make a difference. This requires an open mind and the willingness to adapt as professionals. We need each other to ensure sustainability of the positive changes that can guarantee a safe and secure environment for children. We need to rely on each other. Professionals, parents, the networks, and all involved, have to work together towards one goal, namely, that children can safely recover from adverse child experiences and develop in a secure and protective manner. There will always be situations when the input of some of us will need to be long term or even permanent, but know you are not alone on this journey.

That is exactly the aim of this magazine, Asertivo. As professionals, we have a tendency to feel alone, feel that we are left to our own devices to deal with very complex situations. Through this magazine, Asertivo, we can share our stories, best practices, tips and the wealth of information we gather in our daily work. It is also time to talk about the successes, without getting stuck in the negatives. As professionals we do so much, yet so often we don’t take the time to look back on all of our achievements, especially those successes gained when we work together, side by side, instead of separate or sometimes, even against each other.

It truly takes a village to raise and protect children. And the more knowledgeable the community becomes, the more assertive and resilient it becomes, more able to provide safety and security for our children to thrive.

I have always been convinced of the need for change within our national system to better uphold children’s rights. The urgency for change became quite clear to all after the tragic murders of a five-year-old boy and his three-year-old brother at the hands of their stepfather in 2017. The tragedy of that particular family drama laid bare the deficiencies in the existing structures that are designed to help families dealing with trauma that lead to violence and abuse.

We are not alone on this journey