Protect Children

🗨️ “I have met some extremely strong parents. We have given each other an incredible amount of support.” 🫂 Protect Children has piloted the You are Enough™ peer support groups for parents and caregivers of victims of #OCSEA in Finland and Ireland. 💚 Thank you participating parents for sharing your experiences and wisdom and thank you CARI (Children At Risk in Ireland) & Barnahus West/Tusla - Child and Family Agency for taking part in the pilot! 🙌 The evaluation demonstrated that parental peer support improved the wellbeing of both parents and their children. It also revealed: 🔔 The child victim’s symptoms closely mirror the parent's own symptoms of trauma which highlights the importance of support being offered to the whole family. 🔗 Link to the evaluation summary in the comments below. #2KNOW project is funded by the European Commission.

👩💻 Discussing threats and opportunities for the protection of children from sexual violence brought about by emerging technologies. ⚖ Our Executive Director Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen joined a capacity-building event organised as a part of the 43rd meeting of the Lanzarote Committee, Council of Europe at United Nations Office at Vienna. 💻 The rapid development of technology, the lack of robust regulation and child safety mechanisms online have made more children suffer from technology-facilitated sexual abuse. The research by Protect Children demonstrates: 📱 #CSAM is easily accessible on the surface web, particularly on pornography websites and social media. 🔎Perpetrators contact children on popular social media platforms, messaging apps, and online games. 👉Online elements of sexual abuse may worsen or complicate its impact. It's time to unite our efforts and #protectchildren from online harms 🙌

🔎 Protect Children has analysed over 2 million child sexual abuse material images (#CSAM) within #ProjectArachnid. 🔔 It contributed to over 1.4 million successful notifications to hosting providers for CSAM removal. The important work of our image analysts to remove CSAM: 🍃Breaks the cycle of abuse and revictimisation, promoting healing for survivors. 🔒Protects other people from accidental involuntary exposure to violent material. 🚨Disrupts offending behaviour and prevents further crimes. ⚖ Completes the legal obligation to remove CSAM from the internet. Read our statement that highlights the significance of image analysts’ work Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc.

📢 We have produced a supportive guide for parents and caregivers whose child has fallen victim to #OCSEA that includes insights from families in similar situations. 🟢Sexual violence against a child is violence against the whole family and discovering that your child has become a victim of online sexual abuse is often a devastating and shocking experience for parents. 🗨 It is natural for parents to experience a range of difficult emotions. They can also suffer with similar trauma symptoms than their children. 🗣 Some parents say it feels like the abuse has happened to themselves. 🔔 It is important for parents to hear that what happened is not their or their child's fault – the shame and guilt belong solely to the offender. Project #2KNOW, funded by the European Commission, is a collaboration between Protect Children, the University of Eastern Finland, and the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS Children at Risk)

🤝 This week, our Executive Director, Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen, met with Tess Dieseth in London to discuss an exciting research collaboration. Tess, who is pursuing her PhD at the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, is focusing her research on our #ReDirection and #2KNOW survey data. 🔬 Tess was awarded a three-year funded scholarship with IPPPRI in September 2023, focusing on the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, early exposure to sexually explicit or violent online content, and CSAM offending. Her research is supervised by Sam Lundrigan and Lee Smith, with External Advisors Tegan Insoll and Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen. ✅ This partnership is a significant step in furthering evidence-based approaches to help-seeking and prevention in the realm of online child protection. Looking forward to the impactful insights that lie ahead! 🌍 #ChildProtection #ResearchCollaboration #ProtectChildren #PhDResearch International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute

📢 Protecting children from sexual violence calls for research-based holistic work. 🌐 Our Executive Director Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen is currently taking part in the StopSo - Tackling Sexual Abuse Annual Conference. In her presentation, Nina highlighted the importance of taking a holistic approach to prevent and end child sexual abuse and exploitation (#CSAE), and shared key results from our work, including: 🔵 Groundbreaking findings from our #EUfunded Project #2KNOW exploring the motivations, facilitators, situational factors, and barriers that influence individuals to engage in CSAM-related crimes. 🟢 Preliminary research results from the #OurVoice Survey for Survivors of sexual violence in childhood, supported by the #JusticeInitiative. 🟣 Insights from parents and caregivers of children who have fallen victims to online sexual abuse on the You are Enough™️ peer-support groups. These insights are essential steps toward #prevention. If we can stop one person from offending, we can potentially keep hundreds of children safe from sexual violence.🛡️ Thank you StopSo - Tackling Sexual Abuse for organising this important conference and for the invaluable work you do! 🌍Together, we can build a world where every child is safe from sexual abuse and exploitation. 💚

🔔 Join our upcoming training session 'Using trauma-informed approach when working with parents and caregivers of children who have fallen victims to online sexual violence'! 🙋♀️ The training is suitable for any professional who works with or interacts with families affected by online sexual abuse against their child. 🤝 It aims to enhance professionals’ understanding of the entire family’s experiences when facing such trauma and emphasises the importance of supporting parents in the victim’s healing process. 📅 Date: Thursday, 14 November 2024 ⏰ Time: 9:30–12:30 CET 📍 Location: Zoom Online Meeting Register here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dbTb8kpp Project #2KNOW, funded by the EU, is a collaboration between Protect Children, the University of Eastern Finland, and the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS Children at Risk), aiming to improve support for child victims and enhance data collection on online sexual abuse.

🌍 Working together to address some of the biggest challenges in tackling child sexual abuse (#CSA). 🔒 Our Executive Director Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen joined the Virtual Global Taskforce group meeting that works to deliver innovative, global strategies to tackle all crimes of sexual violence against children. 📗 In the meeting, Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen shared invaluable for law enforcement insights from our #EUFunded #2KNOW project research, including: 🚧 Motivations, facilitators, situational factors, and barriers to online child sexual abuse offending. 🔔 Severe trauma symptoms related to #OCSEA and aligning between the child & parent symptoms. #Collaboration is crucial when responding to a growing global threat of child sexual abuse. 💚 Thank you to Ofcom for kindly hosting this important event! Let's #ProtectChilden together!

📣 #WordsMatter! When discussing child sexual abuse and exploitation (#CSA), the vocabulary must be respectful of victims and survivors, and should not diminish the severity of the crime. 📖 Inaccurate or inappropriate terms can harm victims and survivors by reinforcing stigma, leading to inadequate legal responses, and discouraging help-seeking. ❗ Terms, such as ‘pornography’, imply consent, while ‘child sexual abuse material’ (#CSAM) highlights the abusive nature of the depicted content. 💚 Protect Children advocates for clear consistency in the use of terminology that describes sexual violence against children to meet the best interests of the child. 📝 Read more about the importance of the correct terminology in our new blog post! Link in the comments.

💬 “My expectations for the group and its impact on my wellbeing were hopeful, but as a form of support, the group turned out to be even more important than the other therapies I have had. Peer support and the facilitators’ knowledge were invaluable help that couldn't be found elsewhere." - A parent participating in a #YouAreEnough peer-support group for parents and caregivers whose child has fallen victim to #OCSEA. We are working to provide the care and support that families need when experiencing child sexual abuse and exploitation 💚 👉 Read more about the peer-support groups and valuable insights from parents: https://lnkd.in/dMq2DVkF Project #2KNOW is funded by the European Commission.