Month: September 2024

 

Support measures for families, companies, farmers and local authorities affected by the fires

 

The Council of Ministers approved, this Thursday, a set of support measures intended for the populations and regions affected by the recent fires. This decision follows the declaration of calamity approved on September 15, 2024.

In an action coordinated by the Multidisciplinary Working Group, under the leadership of the Deputy Minister for Territorial Cohesion, an exhaustive survey of the damages was initiated, in close coordination between the Municipalities and the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions. The affected areas cover a total of 69 municipalities and 291 parishes.

The measures aim to provide immediate and comprehensive support, including assistance to families, housing recovery, support for businesses and farmers, restoration of infrastructure and forests, as well as the replacement of destroyed equipment. The support package covers several areas, ensuring a rapid and effective response to local needs.

People:

. Support for families in need

. Specific measures of the National Health Service (SNS)

. Support for farmers to acquire immediate goods

. Exemption from Social Security contributions

. Reinforcement of social action technicians

. Simplified lay-off to support companies in crisis

. Exception regime in active employment measures

. Professional training actions for the unemployed

. Extension of the deadline for compliance with tax obligations

. Support for IPSS and similar institutions

Support for the reconstruction or rehabilitation of permanent housing, with State financing of 100% up to 150 thousand euros and 85% of the excess amount

 

Economic Activities:

. Creation of a treasury support line

. Support for the replacement of production – buildings, raw materials and machinery.

 

Agriculture:

. Special subsidy to compensate for agricultural losses up to 6 thousand euros

. Support for agricultural production capacity for the replacement or repair of animals, agricultural machinery and equipment and agricultural warehouses.

 

Forests:

. Support for forest recovery – stabilization and recovery of affected areas

. Support for the replacement or repair of machinery, forestry equipment, forestry warehouses and other buildings supporting forestry activities

 

Infrastructure and equipment:

. Support for the repair of public infrastructure

. Support for operational equipment and vehicles – Firefighters

. Removal of debris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social networks associated with self-inflicted injuries in children and adolescents

 

The exposure of children and adolescents to social media is significantly associated with an increased risk of self-harm behaviours , with mild to moderate severity, warns a study released this Friday by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP).

A team of researchers examined dozens of studies carried out in different regions of the world, namely in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and China, and concluded that social networks are associated with self-inflicted injuries, although a cause-and-effect relationship cannot be discussed.

The final study was published in April and, in a statement, FMUP quotes the authors, according to whom “ there has been an increase in cases of children and adolescents who intentionally inflict harm on themselves , for example through cuts, scratches or blows, usually in accessible and easily hidden areas of the body, such as wrists, arms, stomach and legs”. This is considered a public health problem in adolescence.

These self-injurious behaviours are “ a mechanism to relieve negative and difficult-to-deal with emotions (such as anger or anxiety), express distress, punish oneself or, more rarely, punish other people .”

At the same time, researchers warn that the use of social networks, such as TikTok and Instagram, has grown, which has changed the way young people relate to each other and the world around them, from increasingly early ages.

Published in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, this work concluded that there is an association between exposure to social networks and self-harm behaviors in children and young people between the ages of 9 and 24 , whether in a psychiatric hospital setting or in the community.

The results point to a possible “social contagion effect” and “imitation” of social networks on the behavior of younger people, with children and young people admitting that they followed online platforms with posts about self-harm before they also did so.

“The possibility of a contagion effect remains an open question, as does the causality of the association between social networks and self-harm behavior ,” the researchers point out, however, for whom “causality cannot be generalized for now.”

The authors suggest that studies be carried out to analyse the experiences and perspectives of children and young people over time, in order to understand, for example, whether self-harm occurs before or after watching or participating in such content on social media.

They also suggest that children and young people’s self-reporting be supplemented with available technology, in order to objectively track the time they spend on social media and study the importance of the number of hours of exposure and the role of gender.

 

This work is signed by Luís Guilherme Spínola and Irene Carvalho, from FMUP, as well as Cláudia Calaboiça, from the Psychology Center of the University of Porto (CPUP).

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that problematic use of social media is on the rise among young Europeans, who are also more likely to develop a gambling addiction .

“We need immediate and sustained action to help adolescents stop potentially harmful use of social media, which has been shown to lead to depression, bullying, anxiety and poor academic performance ,” WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge said in a statement.

In 2022, 11% of adolescents (13% of girls and 9% of boys) showed signs of problematic social media use, compared with just 7% four years earlier, according to data obtained from 280,000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15 from 44 countries in Europe, Central Asia and Canada.

The symptoms are similar to those of drug addiction: inability to control excessive use, feelings of giving up and abandoning other activities in favor of social networks, and negative consequences in daily life .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change of Commander for GNR Faro Territorial District

I was privileged this week to be able to meet both with Coronel Carlos Almeida the current Commander of the GNR Faro Territorial Command (pictured right) and his successor Coronel Marco Henriques (pictured left) just ahead of his swearing in as the new commander, on 5th September 2024.

Coronel Almeida, has held the command position for 3 years and is now transferring as Police Liaison Officer at the Portuguese Embassy in East Timor. This is the number three position at the Embassy. I thanked Carlos Almeida for all his work over this period, where he has faced many challenges and helped to maintain the Algarve as a safe place to live and visit.

I have known and worked closely with his successor Coronel Marco Henriques since Safe Communities was formed in 2011. At that time he was the Captain of Albufeira Division and has risen through the ranks holding positions such as chief of operations for Faro District and until recently second in Command of the District. It has been my great pleasure to work closely with him over the years and his promotion and appointment as Commander, is very well deserved.