Protect Children

🙌 Registration is now open! Join us for the #2KNOW Project Final Conference on 4 February 2025 in Brussels (or online). 📅 Tuesday 4 February 2025 📍 European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium 🔔 Register here: https://lnkd.in/d8M2E2qU ℹ️ More info: https://lnkd.in/dQn2QVzQ This conference brings together child protection professionals, decision-makers, law enforcement, and researchers to discuss innovative strategies to end online sexual violence against children. 💡 What to Expect: 🔹 Insights from the You Are Enough™ peer support groups for caregivers. 🔹 Ground-breaking research on online child sexual abuse offenders. 🔹 Collaborative solutions to tackle online crimes of sexual violence. ✨ Featured speakers include: MEP Merja Kyllönen; MEP Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová; Emilio Puccio, Secretary General of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights; Olivia Lind Haldorsson, Senior Adviser & Head of Children at Risk Unit, Council of the Baltic Sea States; and Dr. Hanna Lahtinen, University of Eastern Finland. From our team: Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen, Executive Director, and Anna Ovaska, Deputy Director & #2KNOW Project Coordinator. Let’s turn knowledge into action and build safer futures for children. See you in Brussels! Project 2KNOW is funded by the European Commission. #2KNOW #Conference #EndOnlineAbuse #EUFunded

🚨 Join us at the Project 2KNOW Final Conference! 🚨 Meet Anna Ovaska, Project Coordinator of the 2KNOW Project and Deputy Director of Protect Children. Anna has led this ground-breaking initiative, which combines cutting-edge research and innovative family support to tackle online sexual violence against children. Event Details: 📅 Date: 4 February 2025 📍 Location: Brussels & Online 💻 Register now: https://lnkd.in/d8M2E2qU Join us and other experts in this crucial discussion as we work towards ending online sexual violence against children. Together, we can turn knowledge into action. Project 2KNOW is funded by the European Commission. #2KNOW #Conference #EndOnlineAbuse #EUFunded

🌟 Happy Holidays from the Protect Children team! With the holiday break approaching, we are wishing everyone a safe and restful holiday. 💚 Let’s continue protecting children #together in 2025! We will be back on social media on January 7. Stay tuned!

🚨 The Agenda is Live! Join the 2KNOW Project Final Conference 🚨 The 2KNOW Project Final Conference will take place on 4 February 2025 at the European Parliament in Brussels (with online participation available). 📅 What’s on the agenda? 🔹 Keynotes by Emilio Puccio, Secretary General of the Intergroup on Children’s Rights, and Members of the European Parliament, MEP Evin I., Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Hilde Vautmans, and Merja Kyllönen. 🔹 Contributions by Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen and Anna Ovaska from Protect Children. 🔹 Expert insights from Olivia Lind Haldorsson, Council of the Baltic Sea States, and Dr. Hanna Lahtinen, University of Eastern Finland. 🔹 Discussions on innovative solutions to end online sexual violence against children. 💡 Why Attend? This high-level event offers a unique opportunity to engage with global experts, discover evidence-based strategies, and collaborate on actions to prevent online crimes of sexual violence against children. Event Details: 🗓 Date: 4 February 2025 📍 Location: Brussels & Online 📌 Register Now: https://lnkd.in/d8M2E2qU Let’s transform knowledge into action. Join us in person or online to be part of this crucial dialogue. #2KNOW #EUFunded #EndOnlineAbuse #Conference Project 2KNOW is funded by the European Commission.

🌟 Our interns bring valuable perspectives and energy to our work, and we truly appreciate their contributions. A huge thank you to Cayla Miller and Emma Corrêa de Mora for your dedication during your internships with us. It has been a pleasure to have you both on the team, and we’re confident that your skills and commitment will continue to make a positive impact. Wishing you every success in your future endeavours! 💚 Interested in joining our mission? Learn more about how to get involved: https://lnkd.in/ge55U8RW

🖋 In the words of a survivor: ‘Survivor’ 📔 This poem highlights the long lasting impact of childhood sexual violence and exploitation, while also resisting a romanticised portrayal of survival. “I am not a trophy survivor. Years have passed and he haunts me unpredictably and in every caress. Where some can share their story I just want to forget.” 🗨️ The experiences of survivors and victims are complex and diverse. It is vital to hear and hold space for the voices of survivors to provide for informed support, prevention policy measures. 🗣️ We have developed the Global #OurVoice Survivor Survey, supported by the #JusticeInitiative, to amplify survivor voices and wisdom. Help us share the survey (🔗link in the comments below).

🌍 Our Senior Specialist, Katariina Leivo, recently participated in the first Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) Regional Advisory Group Meeting on Transnational Child Protection for Children from Ukraine. 🕊️ This meeting is part of Project Suzir’ya, a multidisciplinary initiative supported by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, aimed at safeguarding children displaced by the war in Ukraine from human trafficking, abuse, core international crimes, and other serious harm. 🤝 With her expertise in developmental psychology, Katariina contributed to key discussions on strengthening integrated child protection systems and tackling the unique challenges faced by vulnerable children. 💙 At Protect Children, we are proud to collaborate on international efforts like these to ensure children at risk receive justice, protection, and the long-term support they need. Together, we can prevent, mitigate, and respond to violations affecting displaced children. Let’s continue working together to protect and empower every child, everywhere. 🌍💙 #ChildProtection #Ukraine #ProtectChildren

📢 To Share or Not to Share? - Let’s break the silence around child sexual abuse (#CSA). 🍃 Talking about child sexual abuse is not comfortable but absolutely necessary. 🗣 When disseminating the Global ‘#OurVoice’ Survivor Survey, we noticed that religious communities and other value-based organisations were unwilling or reluctant to share it. ❓ Ask yourself; who benefits from the silence? 🙌 Child sexual abuse can occur anywhere. It is time for organisations to step up, break the silence, and stand with victims and survivors! Read the blog post ‘To Share or Not to Share’ on our website 🔗https://lnkd.in/gZN6vBdb 🤝 The Global Our Voice Survivor Survey is supported by the #JusticeInitiative.

📣 #WordsMatter! When discussing child sexual abuse and exploitation (#CSA), the terminology must be respectful of victims and survivors and should not diminish the severity of crimes of sexual violence against children.   📖 Inaccurate or inappropriate terms can harm victims and survivors by reinforcing stigma, leading to inadequate legal responses, and discouraging help-seeking. ❗Certain terms, such as ‘pornography’, imply consent, while ‘child sexual abuse material’ (#CSAM) highlights the abusive nature of the depicted content. 💚 Protect Children emphasises that the terminology used when discussing child sexual abuse and exploitation should always promote and respect the rights of the child. 📝 Read more about the importance of using correct terminology in our blog post: link in the comments. #protectchildren #EndCSAE #EndCSAM

🌊 In the words of a survivor: ‘I Mourn’ "I Mourn" is a survivor's poem that expresses the loss associated in the aftermath of childhood sexual violence and exploitation. 🗣 “I mourn my experiences—violence in all its forms, insecurity, uncertainty, distrust, neglect, lack of help, belittling, insults, labels, fear, horror, loneliness.” 📌The poem demonstrates the importance of listening to and being informed by the voices of survivors and victims - which reveal truths and insights that are otherwise overlooked. 🍃 We have developed the Global #OurVoice Survivor Survey, supported by the Justice Initiative, for this purpose: to amplify #survivor voices and ensure that their experiences shape the support systems, awareness campaigns, and policies designed to protect and empower.