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A Vision To Zero:
A Roadmap to Ending Childhood Sexual Violence
A Vision To Zero:
A Roadmap to Ending Childhood Sexual Violence
A Vision To Zero:
A Roadmap to Ending Childhood Sexual Violence
A Vision To Zero:
A Roadmap to Ending Childhood Sexual Violence
Our report can be viewed in full on this page. You can also download a PDF version if you prefer using the download button below.
330+
stakeholders have united for the first time ever to create a global vision to end Childhood Sexual Violence quicker and a roadmap that charts the journey ahead.
330+
stakeholders have united for the first time ever to create a global vision to end Childhood Sexual Violence quicker and a roadmap that charts the journey ahead.
330+
stakeholders have united for the first time ever to create a global vision to end Childhood Sexual Violence quicker and a roadmap that charts the journey ahead.
330+
stakeholders have united for the first time ever to create a global vision to end Childhood Sexual Violence quicker and a roadmap that charts the journey ahead.
Introduction
A deeply passionate and diverse community
Actors in our sector are committed to the goal of ending childhood sexual violence (CSV). They know that it is preventable and that practical, scalable solutions exist that can break the cycle of child abuse.
To Zero was created to help the sector align around a shared vision, to understand the barriers that frustrate progress and to help break them down. After spending eighteen months engaged with actors across the sector, we know that – working together - it is possible to end childhood sexual violence. And there is a determination to make it happen.
A deeply passionate and diverse community
Actors in our sector are committed to the goal of ending childhood sexual violence (CSV). They know that it is preventable and that practical, scalable solutions exist that can break the cycle of child abuse.
To Zero was created to help the sector align around a shared vision, to understand the barriers that frustrate progress and to help break them down. After spending eighteen months engaged with actors across the sector, we know that – working together - it is possible to end childhood sexual violence. And there is a determination to make it happen.
A deeply passionate and diverse community
Actors in our sector are committed to the goal of ending childhood sexual violence (CSV). They know that it is preventable and that practical, scalable solutions exist that can break the cycle of child abuse.
To Zero was created to help the sector align around a shared vision, to understand the barriers that frustrate progress and to help break them down. After spending eighteen months engaged with actors across the sector, we know that – working together - it is possible to end childhood sexual violence. And there is a determination to make it happen.
A deeply passionate and diverse community
Actors in our sector are committed to the goal of ending childhood sexual violence (CSV). They know that it is preventable and that practical, scalable solutions exist that can break the cycle of child abuse.
To Zero was created to help the sector align around a shared vision, to understand the barriers that frustrate progress and to help break them down. After spending eighteen months engaged with actors across the sector, we know that – working together - it is possible to end childhood sexual violence. And there is a determination to make it happen.
Aligning our sector
To Zero has worked to strengthen shared purpose and identity in our sector to align around more effective, and better supported, collaborative action. With differing approaches and terminology across many countries, cultures and settings, at times it can be difficult to find effective ways for the diverse community of civil society organizations and associated practitioners to work together.
Despite these challenges, To Zero has identified within the field many reasons why we can be confident in reaching our goal, alongside positive ways to strengthen collaboration that will concentrate our collective power.
Aligning our sector
To Zero has worked to strengthen shared purpose and identity in our sector to align around more effective, and better supported, collaborative action. With differing approaches and terminology across many countries, cultures and settings, at times it can be difficult to find effective ways for the diverse community of civil society organizations and associated practitioners to work together.
Despite these challenges, To Zero has identified within the field many reasons why we can be confident in reaching our goal, alongside positive ways to strengthen collaboration that will concentrate our collective power.
Aligning our sector
To Zero has worked to strengthen shared purpose and identity in our sector to align around more effective, and better supported, collaborative action. With differing approaches and terminology across many countries, cultures and settings, at times it can be difficult to find effective ways for the diverse community of civil society organizations and associated practitioners to work together.
Despite these challenges, To Zero has identified within the field many reasons why we can be confident in reaching our goal, alongside positive ways to strengthen collaboration that will concentrate our collective power.
Aligning our sector
To Zero has worked to strengthen shared purpose and identity in our sector to align around more effective, and better supported, collaborative action. With differing approaches and terminology across many countries, cultures and settings, at times it can be difficult to find effective ways for the diverse community of civil society organizations and associated practitioners to work together.
Despite these challenges, To Zero has identified within the field many reasons why we can be confident in reaching our goal, alongside positive ways to strengthen collaboration that will concentrate our collective power.
Transforming societal norms
Across almost all cultures, entrenched social and cultural norms often serve to facilitate childhood sexual violence. The most obvious is the shame and stigma placed on survivors of CSV, which protects perpetrators at the expense of children’s well-being. Other sociocultural factors, such as negative gender norms, patriarchy and adultism, tell survivors to carry their experiences silently. All of this feeds into the belief that childhood sexual violence is inevitable - a view we’re here to challenge.
Transforming societal norms
Across almost all cultures, entrenched social and cultural norms often serve to facilitate childhood sexual violence. The most obvious is the shame and stigma placed on survivors of CSV, which protects perpetrators at the expense of children’s well-being. Other sociocultural factors, such as negative gender norms, patriarchy and adultism, tell survivors to carry their experiences silently. All of this feeds into the belief that childhood sexual violence is inevitable - a view we’re here to challenge.
Transforming societal norms
Across almost all cultures, entrenched social and cultural norms often serve to facilitate childhood sexual violence. The most obvious is the shame and stigma placed on survivors of CSV, which protects perpetrators at the expense of children’s well-being. Other sociocultural factors, such as negative gender norms, patriarchy and adultism, tell survivors to carry their experiences silently. All of this feeds into the belief that childhood sexual violence is inevitable - a view we’re here to challenge.
Transforming societal norms
Across almost all cultures, entrenched social and cultural norms often serve to facilitate childhood sexual violence. The most obvious is the shame and stigma placed on survivors of CSV, which protects perpetrators at the expense of children’s well-being. Other sociocultural factors, such as negative gender norms, patriarchy and adultism, tell survivors to carry their experiences silently. All of this feeds into the belief that childhood sexual violence is inevitable - a view we’re here to challenge.
Supporting stakeholder well-being
Working to end CSV is emotionally taxing for many stakeholders. A significant portion have their own lived experience – as survivors themselves or parents and children of survivors. Often in the sector to end childhood sexual violence survivors hold leadership positions, with the goal of preventing their experiences from being repeated. While it is essential to center survivors in our work, there is significant potential to retraumatize survivors if we misstep. The increasing use of trauma-based approaches offer safer and braver ways of working to unlock valuable insights that could reveal and prevent cycles of CSV.
Supporting stakeholder well-being
Working to end CSV is emotionally taxing for many stakeholders. A significant portion have their own lived experience – as survivors themselves or parents and children of survivors. Often in the sector to end childhood sexual violence survivors hold leadership positions, with the goal of preventing their experiences from being repeated. While it is essential to center survivors in our work, there is significant potential to retraumatize survivors if we misstep. The increasing use of trauma-based approaches offer safer and braver ways of working to unlock valuable insights that could reveal and prevent cycles of CSV.
Supporting stakeholder well-being
Working to end CSV is emotionally taxing for many stakeholders. A significant portion have their own lived experience – as survivors themselves or parents and children of survivors. Often in the sector to end childhood sexual violence survivors hold leadership positions, with the goal of preventing their experiences from being repeated. While it is essential to center survivors in our work, there is significant potential to retraumatize survivors if we misstep. The increasing use of trauma-based approaches offer safer and braver ways of working to unlock valuable insights that could reveal and prevent cycles of CSV.
Supporting stakeholder well-being
Working to end CSV is emotionally taxing for many stakeholders. A significant portion have their own lived experience – as survivors themselves or parents and children of survivors. Often in the sector to end childhood sexual violence survivors hold leadership positions, with the goal of preventing their experiences from being repeated. While it is essential to center survivors in our work, there is significant potential to retraumatize survivors if we misstep. The increasing use of trauma-based approaches offer safer and braver ways of working to unlock valuable insights that could reveal and prevent cycles of CSV.
Unlocking sustained funding
Individuals and organizations across the world are already doing brilliant work. However, more resources are needed to enable stronger action. There is limited public funding to support organizations’ work and a lack of flexible, private funding to support innovation and further global, intersectional progress.
This resource challenge is magnified by a lack of political will, with governments and decision-makers reluctant to commit the long-term resources and funding needed. Societal change is hard to measure within a typical electoral term. This makes governments less willing to tackle the issue – even though voters and officials across the political spectrum almost unanimously agree it must end. Politicians may feel that how to end CSV is too unclear and hard to track. But we know what works and what doesn’t, and on that basis can offer them the confidence to transform their concern into action.
Unlocking sustained funding
Individuals and organizations across the world are already doing brilliant work. However, more resources are needed to enable stronger action. There is limited public funding to support organizations’ work and a lack of flexible, private funding to support innovation and further global, intersectional progress.
This resource challenge is magnified by a lack of political will, with governments and decision-makers reluctant to commit the long-term resources and funding needed. Societal change is hard to measure within a typical electoral term. This makes governments less willing to tackle the issue – even though voters and officials across the political spectrum almost unanimously agree it must end. Politicians may feel that how to end CSV is too unclear and hard to track. But we know what works and what doesn’t, and on that basis can offer them the confidence to transform their concern into action.
Unlocking sustained funding
Individuals and organizations across the world are already doing brilliant work. However, more resources are needed to enable stronger action. There is limited public funding to support organizations’ work and a lack of flexible, private funding to support innovation and further global, intersectional progress.
This resource challenge is magnified by a lack of political will, with governments and decision-makers reluctant to commit the long-term resources and funding needed. Societal change is hard to measure within a typical electoral term. This makes governments less willing to tackle the issue – even though voters and officials across the political spectrum almost unanimously agree it must end. Politicians may feel that how to end CSV is too unclear and hard to track. But we know what works and what doesn’t, and on that basis can offer them the confidence to transform their concern into action.
Unlocking sustained funding
Individuals and organizations across the world are already doing brilliant work. However, more resources are needed to enable stronger action. There is limited public funding to support organizations’ work and a lack of flexible, private funding to support innovation and further global, intersectional progress.
This resource challenge is magnified by a lack of political will, with governments and decision-makers reluctant to commit the long-term resources and funding needed. Societal change is hard to measure within a typical electoral term. This makes governments less willing to tackle the issue – even though voters and officials across the political spectrum almost unanimously agree it must end. Politicians may feel that how to end CSV is too unclear and hard to track. But we know what works and what doesn’t, and on that basis can offer them the confidence to transform their concern into action.
A window of opportunity for action
Actors in the field are already making exciting progress and many feel hopeful about what they can achieve. Survivors have long been seen as powerful leaders, illuminating the personal impact of CSV and fighting for a future without it. Together with other stakeholders, they have leveraged movements and conversations around childhood mental health, racial justice and women’s rights to show we can challenge inequalities, injustices and abuse that often seem like unfortunate, but inevitable, facts of human society.
Right now, whilst acknowledging the real challenges in the environment, there are many reasons to feel positive and hopeful about our sector’s power to end CSV:
Organizations across our sector want to find ways to expand collaboration.
There’s increasing awareness of CSV across other sectors, such as education and climate, opening avenues for intersectional, interdisciplinary, systemic collaboration.
We have better evidence on effective interventions to end childhood sexual violence, particularly around the following:
Strategies for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs);
Preventing online sexual violence;
Preventing abuse behaviors;
Emerging prevalence rates of CSV against boys and girls; and
Addressing the specific circumstances of children with disabilities, or those living in or fleeing from conflict zones.
Our sector has also made great progress in showing how evidence supports real-world actions, using it to galvanize national decision-makers and mobilize donors to support effective work.
Attention has shifted to focus on the dynamics of scaling up interventions and building research infrastructure to support current and future work in more sustainable ways.
The potential of this moment, and the moral imperative to stop childhood sexual violence, is what drives us at To Zero.
A window of opportunity for action
Actors in the field are already making exciting progress and many feel hopeful about what they can achieve. Survivors have long been seen as powerful leaders, illuminating the personal impact of CSV and fighting for a future without it. Together with other stakeholders, they have leveraged movements and conversations around childhood mental health, racial justice and women’s rights to show we can challenge inequalities, injustices and abuse that often seem like unfortunate, but inevitable, facts of human society.
Right now, whilst acknowledging the real challenges in the environment, there are many reasons to feel positive and hopeful about our sector’s power to end CSV:
Organizations across our sector want to find ways to expand collaboration.
There’s increasing awareness of CSV across other sectors, such as education and climate, opening avenues for intersectional, interdisciplinary, systemic collaboration.
We have better evidence on effective interventions to end childhood sexual violence, particularly around the following:
Strategies for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs);
Preventing online sexual violence;
Preventing abuse behaviors;
Emerging prevalence rates of CSV against boys and girls; and
Addressing the specific circumstances of children with disabilities, or those living in or fleeing from conflict zones.
Our sector has also made great progress in showing how evidence supports real-world actions, using it to galvanize national decision-makers and mobilize donors to support effective work.
Attention has shifted to focus on the dynamics of scaling up interventions and building research infrastructure to support current and future work in more sustainable ways.
The potential of this moment, and the moral imperative to stop childhood sexual violence, is what drives us at To Zero.
A window of opportunity for action
Actors in the field are already making exciting progress and many feel hopeful about what they can achieve. Survivors have long been seen as powerful leaders, illuminating the personal impact of CSV and fighting for a future without it. Together with other stakeholders, they have leveraged movements and conversations around childhood mental health, racial justice and women’s rights to show we can challenge inequalities, injustices and abuse that often seem like unfortunate, but inevitable, facts of human society.
Right now, whilst acknowledging the real challenges in the environment, there are many reasons to feel positive and hopeful about our sector’s power to end CSV:
Organizations across our sector want to find ways to expand collaboration.
There’s increasing awareness of CSV across other sectors, such as education and climate, opening avenues for intersectional, interdisciplinary, systemic collaboration.
We have better evidence on effective interventions to end childhood sexual violence, particularly around the following:
Strategies for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs);
Preventing online sexual violence;
Preventing abuse behaviors;
Emerging prevalence rates of CSV against boys and girls; and
Addressing the specific circumstances of children with disabilities, or those living in or fleeing from conflict zones.
Our sector has also made great progress in showing how evidence supports real-world actions, using it to galvanize national decision-makers and mobilize donors to support effective work.
Attention has shifted to focus on the dynamics of scaling up interventions and building research infrastructure to support current and future work in more sustainable ways.
The potential of this moment, and the moral imperative to stop childhood sexual violence, is what drives us at To Zero.
A window of opportunity for action
Actors in the field are already making exciting progress and many feel hopeful about what they can achieve. Survivors have long been seen as powerful leaders, illuminating the personal impact of CSV and fighting for a future without it. Together with other stakeholders, they have leveraged movements and conversations around childhood mental health, racial justice and women’s rights to show we can challenge inequalities, injustices and abuse that often seem like unfortunate, but inevitable, facts of human society.
Right now, whilst acknowledging the real challenges in the environment, there are many reasons to feel positive and hopeful about our sector’s power to end CSV:
Organizations across our sector want to find ways to expand collaboration.
There’s increasing awareness of CSV across other sectors, such as education and climate, opening avenues for intersectional, interdisciplinary, systemic collaboration.
We have better evidence on effective interventions to end childhood sexual violence, particularly around the following:
Strategies for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs);
Preventing online sexual violence;
Preventing abuse behaviors;
Emerging prevalence rates of CSV against boys and girls; and
Addressing the specific circumstances of children with disabilities, or those living in or fleeing from conflict zones.
Our sector has also made great progress in showing how evidence supports real-world actions, using it to galvanize national decision-makers and mobilize donors to support effective work.
Attention has shifted to focus on the dynamics of scaling up interventions and building research infrastructure to support current and future work in more sustainable ways.
The potential of this moment, and the moral imperative to stop childhood sexual violence, is what drives us at To Zero.
Across almost all cultures, entrenched social and cultural norms often serve to facilitate childhood sexual violence.
Across almost all cultures, entrenched social and cultural norms often serve to facilitate childhood sexual violence.
Across almost all cultures, entrenched social and cultural norms often serve to facilitate childhood sexual violence.
Across almost all cultures, entrenched social and cultural norms often serve to facilitate childhood sexual violence.
What is To Zero?
To Zero began in 2022 as an initiative to connect and align the passionate, global community of individuals and organizations focused on ending CSV. We also wanted to capture their perspectives on the pathways to reach a future free from childhood sexual violence. Our purpose was to hear from many different groups, including but not limited to:
researchers;
grassroots advocates and survivors;
representatives from non-profit organizations;
multilateral agencies: civil society organizations; and
leading coalitions and networks dedicated to preventing and responding to childhood sexual violence.
Now, we are building a roadmap for action, fostering collaborative and cross-sector relationships to align our sector around a common goal. We focus on research and development, analyzing current literature on approaches and beliefs and seeking key stakeholder insights to better understand which actions have the greatest potential for lasting change.
To Zero began in 2022 as an initiative to connect and align the passionate, global community of individuals and organizations focused on ending CSV. We also wanted to capture their perspectives on the pathways to reach a future free from childhood sexual violence. Our purpose was to hear from many different groups, including but not limited to:
researchers;
grassroots advocates and survivors;
representatives from non-profit organizations;
multilateral agencies: civil society organizations; and
leading coalitions and networks dedicated to preventing and responding to childhood sexual violence.
Now, we are building a roadmap for action, fostering collaborative and cross-sector relationships to align our sector around a common goal. We focus on research and development, analyzing current literature on approaches and beliefs and seeking key stakeholder insights to better understand which actions have the greatest potential for lasting change.
To Zero began in 2022 as an initiative to connect and align the passionate, global community of individuals and organizations focused on ending CSV. We also wanted to capture their perspectives on the pathways to reach a future free from childhood sexual violence. Our purpose was to hear from many different groups, including but not limited to:
researchers;
grassroots advocates and survivors;
representatives from non-profit organizations;
multilateral agencies: civil society organizations; and
leading coalitions and networks dedicated to preventing and responding to childhood sexual violence.
Now, we are building a roadmap for action, fostering collaborative and cross-sector relationships to align our sector around a common goal. We focus on research and development, analyzing current literature on approaches and beliefs and seeking key stakeholder insights to better understand which actions have the greatest potential for lasting change.
To Zero began in 2022 as an initiative to connect and align the passionate, global community of individuals and organizations focused on ending CSV. We also wanted to capture their perspectives on the pathways to reach a future free from childhood sexual violence. Our purpose was to hear from many different groups, including but not limited to:
researchers;
grassroots advocates and survivors;
representatives from non-profit organizations;
multilateral agencies: civil society organizations; and
leading coalitions and networks dedicated to preventing and responding to childhood sexual violence.
Now, we are building a roadmap for action, fostering collaborative and cross-sector relationships to align our sector around a common goal. We focus on research and development, analyzing current literature on approaches and beliefs and seeking key stakeholder insights to better understand which actions have the greatest potential for lasting change.
Our approach makes us unique
To Zero exists as a timebound initiative dedicated solely to one issue. We want to empower stakeholders who are already making a difference and inspire advocates, funders, and decision-makers to accelerate the pace of progress.
To ensure we have a deep understanding of the current state of play we take a multi-faceted approach built upon three key factors:
Stakeholder insights from sector leaders, including survivors, from across the globe;
A visioning process to map the landscape based on the Three Horizons framework; and
Identifying pathways to drive long-term change and action accelerators to focus short-term effort for transformative impact.
Our initial state of play report, Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence, reviewed historical and current evidence from across the sector to date. Its goal was to make sure everyone invested in ending childhood sexual violence has access to the most relevant frameworks and information on promising developments and persistent challenges.
Underpinning that report is a simple theory of change, widely adopted in the field: evidence of the problem and of effective responses will grow political will and donor funding, which will in turn drive more and better action. If we also pay attention to capacity to deliver, this action will generate more real-world impact and evidence of success.
In this second and final report, the culmination of eighteen months of collective visioning synthesized from over 330 stakeholders in the sector to end childhood sexual violence, we set out the steps we can all take to make our ambition a reality.
Our approach makes us unique
To Zero exists as a timebound initiative dedicated solely to one issue. We want to empower stakeholders who are already making a difference and inspire advocates, funders, and decision-makers to accelerate the pace of progress.
To ensure we have a deep understanding of the current state of play we take a multi-faceted approach built upon three key factors:
Stakeholder insights from sector leaders, including survivors, from across the globe;
A visioning process to map the landscape based on the Three Horizons framework; and
Identifying pathways to drive long-term change and action accelerators to focus short-term effort for transformative impact.
Our initial state of play report, Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence, reviewed historical and current evidence from across the sector to date. Its goal was to make sure everyone invested in ending childhood sexual violence has access to the most relevant frameworks and information on promising developments and persistent challenges.
Underpinning that report is a simple theory of change, widely adopted in the field: evidence of the problem and of effective responses will grow political will and donor funding, which will in turn drive more and better action. If we also pay attention to capacity to deliver, this action will generate more real-world impact and evidence of success.
In this second and final report, the culmination of eighteen months of collective visioning synthesized from over 330 stakeholders in the sector to end childhood sexual violence, we set out the steps we can all take to make our ambition a reality.
Our approach makes us unique
To Zero exists as a timebound initiative dedicated solely to one issue. We want to empower stakeholders who are already making a difference and inspire advocates, funders, and decision-makers to accelerate the pace of progress.
To ensure we have a deep understanding of the current state of play we take a multi-faceted approach built upon three key factors:
Stakeholder insights from sector leaders, including survivors, from across the globe;
A visioning process to map the landscape based on the Three Horizons framework; and
Identifying pathways to drive long-term change and action accelerators to focus short-term effort for transformative impact.
Our initial state of play report, Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence, reviewed historical and current evidence from across the sector to date. Its goal was to make sure everyone invested in ending childhood sexual violence has access to the most relevant frameworks and information on promising developments and persistent challenges.
Underpinning that report is a simple theory of change, widely adopted in the field: evidence of the problem and of effective responses will grow political will and donor funding, which will in turn drive more and better action. If we also pay attention to capacity to deliver, this action will generate more real-world impact and evidence of success.
In this second and final report, the culmination of eighteen months of collective visioning synthesized from over 330 stakeholders in the sector to end childhood sexual violence, we set out the steps we can all take to make our ambition a reality.
Our approach makes us unique
To Zero exists as a timebound initiative dedicated solely to one issue. We want to empower stakeholders who are already making a difference and inspire advocates, funders, and decision-makers to accelerate the pace of progress.
To ensure we have a deep understanding of the current state of play we take a multi-faceted approach built upon three key factors:
Stakeholder insights from sector leaders, including survivors, from across the globe;
A visioning process to map the landscape based on the Three Horizons framework; and
Identifying pathways to drive long-term change and action accelerators to focus short-term effort for transformative impact.
Our initial state of play report, Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence, reviewed historical and current evidence from across the sector to date. Its goal was to make sure everyone invested in ending childhood sexual violence has access to the most relevant frameworks and information on promising developments and persistent challenges.
Underpinning that report is a simple theory of change, widely adopted in the field: evidence of the problem and of effective responses will grow political will and donor funding, which will in turn drive more and better action. If we also pay attention to capacity to deliver, this action will generate more real-world impact and evidence of success.
In this second and final report, the culmination of eighteen months of collective visioning synthesized from over 330 stakeholders in the sector to end childhood sexual violence, we set out the steps we can all take to make our ambition a reality.
What to expect from this report
In part two, we’ll outline the methodology we used to gather stakeholder insights and give an overview of our process.
In part three, we’ll describe our vision and how close we are to realizing it - looking at what is working, what is holding us back, what gives us hope and what more we need to meet our goal of ending CSV.
In part four, we set out eight tangible Action Accelerators: examples of key routes of action that, if pursued diligently, can make a real difference to the childhood sexual violence landscape in the next five years.
Finally, in part five, we will summarize our recommendations and issue an invitation for actors across our sector and beyond to play their part in ending CSV.
What to expect from this report
In part two, we’ll outline the methodology we used to gather stakeholder insights and give an overview of our process.
In part three, we’ll describe our vision and how close we are to realizing it - looking at what is working, what is holding us back, what gives us hope and what more we need to meet our goal of ending CSV.
In part four, we set out eight tangible Action Accelerators: examples of key routes of action that, if pursued diligently, can make a real difference to the childhood sexual violence landscape in the next five years.
Finally, in part five, we will summarize our recommendations and issue an invitation for actors across our sector and beyond to play their part in ending CSV.
What to expect from this report
In part two, we’ll outline the methodology we used to gather stakeholder insights and give an overview of our process.
In part three, we’ll describe our vision and how close we are to realizing it - looking at what is working, what is holding us back, what gives us hope and what more we need to meet our goal of ending CSV.
In part four, we set out eight tangible Action Accelerators: examples of key routes of action that, if pursued diligently, can make a real difference to the childhood sexual violence landscape in the next five years.
Finally, in part five, we will summarize our recommendations and issue an invitation for actors across our sector and beyond to play their part in ending CSV.
What to expect from this report
In part two, we’ll outline the methodology we used to gather stakeholder insights and give an overview of our process.
In part three, we’ll describe our vision and how close we are to realizing it - looking at what is working, what is holding us back, what gives us hope and what more we need to meet our goal of ending CSV.
In part four, we set out eight tangible Action Accelerators: examples of key routes of action that, if pursued diligently, can make a real difference to the childhood sexual violence landscape in the next five years.
Finally, in part five, we will summarize our recommendations and issue an invitation for actors across our sector and beyond to play their part in ending CSV.
To Zero exists as a timebound initiative dedicated solely to one issue.
To Zero exists as a timebound initiative dedicated solely to one issue.
To Zero exists as a timebound initiative dedicated solely to one issue.
To Zero exists as a timebound initiative dedicated solely to one issue.
Our methodology
Within the sector to end CSV we share a common goal: to stop the sexual abuse of children. But despite all aiming for the same result, differences in terminology, perspective and approach can prevent us from realizing our collective potential.
For this reason, we are creating a shared vision and roadmap for change that global actors can see their work reflected in. We’re confident this approach will help different stakeholders find opportunities to align within the sector and beyond, including across disciplines.
Our methodology
Within the sector to end CSV we share a common goal: to stop the sexual abuse of children. But despite all aiming for the same result, differences in terminology, perspective and approach can prevent us from realizing our collective potential.
For this reason, we are creating a shared vision and roadmap for change that global actors can see their work reflected in. We’re confident this approach will help different stakeholders find opportunities to align within the sector and beyond, including across disciplines.
Our methodology
Within the sector to end CSV we share a common goal: to stop the sexual abuse of children. But despite all aiming for the same result, differences in terminology, perspective and approach can prevent us from realizing our collective potential.
For this reason, we are creating a shared vision and roadmap for change that global actors can see their work reflected in. We’re confident this approach will help different stakeholders find opportunities to align within the sector and beyond, including across disciplines.
Our methodology
Within the sector to end CSV we share a common goal: to stop the sexual abuse of children. But despite all aiming for the same result, differences in terminology, perspective and approach can prevent us from realizing our collective potential.
For this reason, we are creating a shared vision and roadmap for change that global actors can see their work reflected in. We’re confident this approach will help different stakeholders find opportunities to align within the sector and beyond, including across disciplines.
Gathering expert insights
To make sure our vision and action plan truly represent our sector’s challenges, we’ve been guided by leaders from different areas of expertize. Many have decades of experience and are survivors themselves, helping us keep their voices at the heart of our work.
Using on-the-ground insights from survivors, researchers, and activists across the world gave us a better understanding of the current state of play. Our Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report mapped out the existing evidence and actors that could help us with our next phase: the visioning process. That involved using the Three Horizons framework to build a detailed picture of the childhood sexual violence landscape viewed from within the field. It looks towards the future, including what’s currently working, what is giving us hope, and what needs to change.
Gathering expert insights
To make sure our vision and action plan truly represent our sector’s challenges, we’ve been guided by leaders from different areas of expertize. Many have decades of experience and are survivors themselves, helping us keep their voices at the heart of our work.
Using on-the-ground insights from survivors, researchers, and activists across the world gave us a better understanding of the current state of play. Our Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report mapped out the existing evidence and actors that could help us with our next phase: the visioning process. That involved using the Three Horizons framework to build a detailed picture of the childhood sexual violence landscape viewed from within the field. It looks towards the future, including what’s currently working, what is giving us hope, and what needs to change.
Gathering expert insights
To make sure our vision and action plan truly represent our sector’s challenges, we’ve been guided by leaders from different areas of expertize. Many have decades of experience and are survivors themselves, helping us keep their voices at the heart of our work.
Using on-the-ground insights from survivors, researchers, and activists across the world gave us a better understanding of the current state of play. Our Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report mapped out the existing evidence and actors that could help us with our next phase: the visioning process. That involved using the Three Horizons framework to build a detailed picture of the childhood sexual violence landscape viewed from within the field. It looks towards the future, including what’s currently working, what is giving us hope, and what needs to change.
Gathering expert insights
To make sure our vision and action plan truly represent our sector’s challenges, we’ve been guided by leaders from different areas of expertize. Many have decades of experience and are survivors themselves, helping us keep their voices at the heart of our work.
Using on-the-ground insights from survivors, researchers, and activists across the world gave us a better understanding of the current state of play. Our Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report mapped out the existing evidence and actors that could help us with our next phase: the visioning process. That involved using the Three Horizons framework to build a detailed picture of the childhood sexual violence landscape viewed from within the field. It looks towards the future, including what’s currently working, what is giving us hope, and what needs to change.
Our consultation framework
The Three Horizons framework gave our visioning process a clear structure. Overseen by an experienced practitioner, several groups of stakeholders (identified below) were invited to describe their own view of the evolving landscape in terms of:
Concerns – Worries about present systems, including why current actions are not making as large or as fast an impact as we would wish.
Innovations – Programs, initiatives or ideas that are being implemented or considered to improve progress.
Sources of hope – Individual and collective aspirations for the future, and signs of hope in the present that can be realized in practice.
These inclusive, productive conversations reveal shared sense of territory - both hopes and concerns, a firm direction of travel, and a much clearer picture of what stakeholders say they need to achieve their long- and short-term goals.
Our consultation framework
The Three Horizons framework gave our visioning process a clear structure. Overseen by an experienced practitioner, several groups of stakeholders (identified below) were invited to describe their own view of the evolving landscape in terms of:
Concerns – Worries about present systems, including why current actions are not making as large or as fast an impact as we would wish.
Innovations – Programs, initiatives or ideas that are being implemented or considered to improve progress.
Sources of hope – Individual and collective aspirations for the future, and signs of hope in the present that can be realized in practice.
These inclusive, productive conversations reveal shared sense of territory - both hopes and concerns, a firm direction of travel, and a much clearer picture of what stakeholders say they need to achieve their long- and short-term goals.
Our consultation framework
The Three Horizons framework gave our visioning process a clear structure. Overseen by an experienced practitioner, several groups of stakeholders (identified below) were invited to describe their own view of the evolving landscape in terms of:
Concerns – Worries about present systems, including why current actions are not making as large or as fast an impact as we would wish.
Innovations – Programs, initiatives or ideas that are being implemented or considered to improve progress.
Sources of hope – Individual and collective aspirations for the future, and signs of hope in the present that can be realized in practice.
These inclusive, productive conversations reveal shared sense of territory - both hopes and concerns, a firm direction of travel, and a much clearer picture of what stakeholders say they need to achieve their long- and short-term goals.
Our consultation framework
The Three Horizons framework gave our visioning process a clear structure. Overseen by an experienced practitioner, several groups of stakeholders (identified below) were invited to describe their own view of the evolving landscape in terms of:
Concerns – Worries about present systems, including why current actions are not making as large or as fast an impact as we would wish.
Innovations – Programs, initiatives or ideas that are being implemented or considered to improve progress.
Sources of hope – Individual and collective aspirations for the future, and signs of hope in the present that can be realized in practice.
These inclusive, productive conversations reveal shared sense of territory - both hopes and concerns, a firm direction of travel, and a much clearer picture of what stakeholders say they need to achieve their long- and short-term goals.
Using on-the-ground insights from survivors, researchers, and activists across the world gave us a better understanding of the current state of play.
Using on-the-ground insights from survivors, researchers, and activists across the world gave us a better understanding of the current state of play.
Using on-the-ground insights from survivors, researchers, and activists across the world gave us a better understanding of the current state of play.
Using on-the-ground insights from survivors, researchers, and activists across the world gave us a better understanding of the current state of play.
The visioning process
Two key stakeholder groups informed our visioning process: a small Champions Group and a much larger Visioning Group, a growing network of sector leaders and practitioners, including survivors, from a wide range of backgrounds.
Both groups play a huge role in To Zero’s work and the creation of our long-term roadmap. Our champions supported our implementation team in designing a collaborative and inclusive visioning process. Their input helped us understand how to gather valuable insights from our wider visioning group and identify diverse people to bring into the process.
The visioning process
Two key stakeholder groups informed our visioning process: a small Champions Group and a much larger Visioning Group, a growing network of sector leaders and practitioners, including survivors, from a wide range of backgrounds.
Both groups play a huge role in To Zero’s work and the creation of our long-term roadmap. Our champions supported our implementation team in designing a collaborative and inclusive visioning process. Their input helped us understand how to gather valuable insights from our wider visioning group and identify diverse people to bring into the process.
The visioning process
Two key stakeholder groups informed our visioning process: a small Champions Group and a much larger Visioning Group, a growing network of sector leaders and practitioners, including survivors, from a wide range of backgrounds.
Both groups play a huge role in To Zero’s work and the creation of our long-term roadmap. Our champions supported our implementation team in designing a collaborative and inclusive visioning process. Their input helped us understand how to gather valuable insights from our wider visioning group and identify diverse people to bring into the process.
The visioning process
Two key stakeholder groups informed our visioning process: a small Champions Group and a much larger Visioning Group, a growing network of sector leaders and practitioners, including survivors, from a wide range of backgrounds.
Both groups play a huge role in To Zero’s work and the creation of our long-term roadmap. Our champions supported our implementation team in designing a collaborative and inclusive visioning process. Their input helped us understand how to gather valuable insights from our wider visioning group and identify diverse people to bring into the process.
Our champions group
Nine leaders from across the sector to end childhood sexual violence make up our champions group. Each brings a unique voice and perspective, as well as a deep understanding of challenges and opportunities within our sector.
The group met quarterly between May 2023 and October 2024. During this time, they helped us frame and develop key parts of our visioning process. That included the need, from the outset, to follow a recognized trauma-informed approach, creating safer spaces while providing self and collective care to minimize triggers, and prevent re-traumatization during the process. Our process utilized a modified SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) approach, which has six core principles of: safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support and mutual self-help, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, voice and choice and cultural, historical and gender issues.
Now that the visioning process is complete, our champions will continue to be vocal advocates for our vision. They will work to help the actions and strategies identified in this report gain traction with wider stakeholders and build momentum towards ending childhood sexual violence.
Our champions group
Nine leaders from across the sector to end childhood sexual violence make up our champions group. Each brings a unique voice and perspective, as well as a deep understanding of challenges and opportunities within our sector.
The group met quarterly between May 2023 and October 2024. During this time, they helped us frame and develop key parts of our visioning process. That included the need, from the outset, to follow a recognized trauma-informed approach, creating safer spaces while providing self and collective care to minimize triggers, and prevent re-traumatization during the process. Our process utilized a modified SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) approach, which has six core principles of: safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support and mutual self-help, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, voice and choice and cultural, historical and gender issues.
Now that the visioning process is complete, our champions will continue to be vocal advocates for our vision. They will work to help the actions and strategies identified in this report gain traction with wider stakeholders and build momentum towards ending childhood sexual violence.
Our champions group
Nine leaders from across the sector to end childhood sexual violence make up our champions group. Each brings a unique voice and perspective, as well as a deep understanding of challenges and opportunities within our sector.
The group met quarterly between May 2023 and October 2024. During this time, they helped us frame and develop key parts of our visioning process. That included the need, from the outset, to follow a recognized trauma-informed approach, creating safer spaces while providing self and collective care to minimize triggers, and prevent re-traumatization during the process. Our process utilized a modified SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) approach, which has six core principles of: safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support and mutual self-help, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, voice and choice and cultural, historical and gender issues.
Now that the visioning process is complete, our champions will continue to be vocal advocates for our vision. They will work to help the actions and strategies identified in this report gain traction with wider stakeholders and build momentum towards ending childhood sexual violence.
Our champions group
Nine leaders from across the sector to end childhood sexual violence make up our champions group. Each brings a unique voice and perspective, as well as a deep understanding of challenges and opportunities within our sector.
The group met quarterly between May 2023 and October 2024. During this time, they helped us frame and develop key parts of our visioning process. That included the need, from the outset, to follow a recognized trauma-informed approach, creating safer spaces while providing self and collective care to minimize triggers, and prevent re-traumatization during the process. Our process utilized a modified SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) approach, which has six core principles of: safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support and mutual self-help, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, voice and choice and cultural, historical and gender issues.
Now that the visioning process is complete, our champions will continue to be vocal advocates for our vision. They will work to help the actions and strategies identified in this report gain traction with wider stakeholders and build momentum towards ending childhood sexual violence.
Our global visioning group
Our larger visioning group is composed of actors reflecting a diverse cross-section of the global community impacted by childhood sexual violence, encompassing a range of ethnicities, nationalities, genders, and sexualities. This diversity also includes areas of expertize spanning key focus areas such as Global North and South-focused work, global and grassroots initiatives, and specific issues like online abuse and child marriage.
Importantly, the visioning group also brought a range of attitudes regarding the project's goal, providing a balance of reasons for positivity and areas of concern. This diverse makeup ensured the visioning process was comprehensive, grounded and open to nuanced perspectives.
Our global visioning group
Our larger visioning group is composed of actors reflecting a diverse cross-section of the global community impacted by childhood sexual violence, encompassing a range of ethnicities, nationalities, genders, and sexualities. This diversity also includes areas of expertize spanning key focus areas such as Global North and South-focused work, global and grassroots initiatives, and specific issues like online abuse and child marriage.
Importantly, the visioning group also brought a range of attitudes regarding the project's goal, providing a balance of reasons for positivity and areas of concern. This diverse makeup ensured the visioning process was comprehensive, grounded and open to nuanced perspectives.
Our global visioning group
Our larger visioning group is composed of actors reflecting a diverse cross-section of the global community impacted by childhood sexual violence, encompassing a range of ethnicities, nationalities, genders, and sexualities. This diversity also includes areas of expertize spanning key focus areas such as Global North and South-focused work, global and grassroots initiatives, and specific issues like online abuse and child marriage.
Importantly, the visioning group also brought a range of attitudes regarding the project's goal, providing a balance of reasons for positivity and areas of concern. This diverse makeup ensured the visioning process was comprehensive, grounded and open to nuanced perspectives.
Our global visioning group
Our larger visioning group is composed of actors reflecting a diverse cross-section of the global community impacted by childhood sexual violence, encompassing a range of ethnicities, nationalities, genders, and sexualities. This diversity also includes areas of expertize spanning key focus areas such as Global North and South-focused work, global and grassroots initiatives, and specific issues like online abuse and child marriage.
Importantly, the visioning group also brought a range of attitudes regarding the project's goal, providing a balance of reasons for positivity and areas of concern. This diverse makeup ensured the visioning process was comprehensive, grounded and open to nuanced perspectives.
A regular cadence of discussions
After completing the Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report, we hosted a three-day visioning workshop in London in October 2023 (with the earliest iteration of our visioning group) to gather initial feedback on our aims, our process and the substantive issues in play.
From March to September 2024 the To Zero implementation team sought opportunities to further inform the vision and roadmap by meeting stakeholders where they were already gathered, including in different parts of the world (see insert: Workshops hosted during the visioning process). These events included regional leader and activist meetings, survivor retreats, and conferences designed for researchers and practitioners in the field. Each gathering was also used as an opportunity to expand the visioning group.
A regular cadence of discussions
After completing the Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report, we hosted a three-day visioning workshop in London in October 2023 (with the earliest iteration of our visioning group) to gather initial feedback on our aims, our process and the substantive issues in play.
From March to September 2024 the To Zero implementation team sought opportunities to further inform the vision and roadmap by meeting stakeholders where they were already gathered, including in different parts of the world (see insert: Workshops hosted during the visioning process). These events included regional leader and activist meetings, survivor retreats, and conferences designed for researchers and practitioners in the field. Each gathering was also used as an opportunity to expand the visioning group.
A regular cadence of discussions
After completing the Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report, we hosted a three-day visioning workshop in London in October 2023 (with the earliest iteration of our visioning group) to gather initial feedback on our aims, our process and the substantive issues in play.
From March to September 2024 the To Zero implementation team sought opportunities to further inform the vision and roadmap by meeting stakeholders where they were already gathered, including in different parts of the world (see insert: Workshops hosted during the visioning process). These events included regional leader and activist meetings, survivor retreats, and conferences designed for researchers and practitioners in the field. Each gathering was also used as an opportunity to expand the visioning group.
A regular cadence of discussions
After completing the Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report, we hosted a three-day visioning workshop in London in October 2023 (with the earliest iteration of our visioning group) to gather initial feedback on our aims, our process and the substantive issues in play.
From March to September 2024 the To Zero implementation team sought opportunities to further inform the vision and roadmap by meeting stakeholders where they were already gathered, including in different parts of the world (see insert: Workshops hosted during the visioning process). These events included regional leader and activist meetings, survivor retreats, and conferences designed for researchers and practitioners in the field. Each gathering was also used as an opportunity to expand the visioning group.
Workshops hosted by To Zero during the visioning process
ECPAT Regional Meeting (Thailand); Family for Every Child (Thailand); Oak Grantee Convening (focused on Campaigning) (UK); Brave Movement Retreat (Portugal); Oak Grantee Convening (focused on Justice & Accountability) (Mexico); Ending Clergy Abuse Members Meeting (Italy); Envision Conference, The Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse (USA); DeafKidz International (South Africa); Institute for Security Studies (South Africa); Youth Leaders convening (South Africa).
Workshops hosted by To Zero during the visioning process
ECPAT Regional Meeting (Thailand); Family for Every Child (Thailand); Oak Grantee Convening (focused on Campaigning) (UK); Brave Movement Retreat (Portugal); Oak Grantee Convening (focused on Justice & Accountability) (Mexico); Ending Clergy Abuse Members Meeting (Italy); Envision Conference, The Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse (USA); DeafKidz International (South Africa); Institute for Security Studies (South Africa); Youth Leaders convening (South Africa).
Workshops hosted by To Zero during the visioning process
ECPAT Regional Meeting (Thailand); Family for Every Child (Thailand); Oak Grantee Convening (focused on Campaigning) (UK); Brave Movement Retreat (Portugal); Oak Grantee Convening (focused on Justice & Accountability) (Mexico); Ending Clergy Abuse Members Meeting (Italy); Envision Conference, The Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse (USA); DeafKidz International (South Africa); Institute for Security Studies (South Africa); Youth Leaders convening (South Africa).
Workshops hosted by To Zero during the visioning process
ECPAT Regional Meeting (Thailand); Family for Every Child (Thailand); Oak Grantee Convening (focused on Campaigning) (UK); Brave Movement Retreat (Portugal); Oak Grantee Convening (focused on Justice & Accountability) (Mexico); Ending Clergy Abuse Members Meeting (Italy); Envision Conference, The Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse (USA); DeafKidz International (South Africa); Institute for Security Studies (South Africa); Youth Leaders convening (South Africa).
During this period we also hosted a series of visioning group virtual sessions. As a result of these processes, over 330 global stakeholders have been involved in contributing to the vision and roadmap presented in this report.
In October 2024, we hosted a final session for our champions group and for the visioning group to share the emerging synthesis derived from our work together.
During this period we also hosted a series of visioning group virtual sessions. As a result of these processes, over 330 global stakeholders have been involved in contributing to the vision and roadmap presented in this report.
In October 2024, we hosted a final session for our champions group and for the visioning group to share the emerging synthesis derived from our work together.
During this period we also hosted a series of visioning group virtual sessions. As a result of these processes, over 330 global stakeholders have been involved in contributing to the vision and roadmap presented in this report.
In October 2024, we hosted a final session for our champions group and for the visioning group to share the emerging synthesis derived from our work together.
During this period we also hosted a series of visioning group virtual sessions. As a result of these processes, over 330 global stakeholders have been involved in contributing to the vision and roadmap presented in this report.
In October 2024, we hosted a final session for our champions group and for the visioning group to share the emerging synthesis derived from our work together.
Additional insights
We’ve been grateful to work with partners that have helped us gather marginalized and underrepresented perspectives, including those of children with disabilities and their supporters, and the youth voice. We know there is much more work to be done to truly reflect mainstream and less represented experiences of CSV, such as the LGBTQIA+ community.
Further, our approach has been informed by three additional activities to collect field insights:
Solutions Insights Lab carried out over 75 in-depth stakeholder interviews across the world, aiming to find new ideas to help end childhood sexual violence, by bringing in perspectives from other fields, filling in the gaps, going deeper and offering interviews in other languages. Running parallel to our visioning process, we cross-referenced the insights emerging from both processes to add strength to our collective outputs.
A group of global youth leaders in the sector came together to share insights, helping us ensure that youth perspectives are reflected in our final outputs.
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) was commissioned to gather views and insights on research and data related to childhood sexual violence.
Additional insights
We’ve been grateful to work with partners that have helped us gather marginalized and underrepresented perspectives, including those of children with disabilities and their supporters, and the youth voice. We know there is much more work to be done to truly reflect mainstream and less represented experiences of CSV, such as the LGBTQIA+ community.
Further, our approach has been informed by three additional activities to collect field insights:
Solutions Insights Lab carried out over 75 in-depth stakeholder interviews across the world, aiming to find new ideas to help end childhood sexual violence, by bringing in perspectives from other fields, filling in the gaps, going deeper and offering interviews in other languages. Running parallel to our visioning process, we cross-referenced the insights emerging from both processes to add strength to our collective outputs.
A group of global youth leaders in the sector came together to share insights, helping us ensure that youth perspectives are reflected in our final outputs.
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) was commissioned to gather views and insights on research and data related to childhood sexual violence.
Additional insights
We’ve been grateful to work with partners that have helped us gather marginalized and underrepresented perspectives, including those of children with disabilities and their supporters, and the youth voice. We know there is much more work to be done to truly reflect mainstream and less represented experiences of CSV, such as the LGBTQIA+ community.
Further, our approach has been informed by three additional activities to collect field insights:
Solutions Insights Lab carried out over 75 in-depth stakeholder interviews across the world, aiming to find new ideas to help end childhood sexual violence, by bringing in perspectives from other fields, filling in the gaps, going deeper and offering interviews in other languages. Running parallel to our visioning process, we cross-referenced the insights emerging from both processes to add strength to our collective outputs.
A group of global youth leaders in the sector came together to share insights, helping us ensure that youth perspectives are reflected in our final outputs.
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) was commissioned to gather views and insights on research and data related to childhood sexual violence.
Additional insights
We’ve been grateful to work with partners that have helped us gather marginalized and underrepresented perspectives, including those of children with disabilities and their supporters, and the youth voice. We know there is much more work to be done to truly reflect mainstream and less represented experiences of CSV, such as the LGBTQIA+ community.
Further, our approach has been informed by three additional activities to collect field insights:
Solutions Insights Lab carried out over 75 in-depth stakeholder interviews across the world, aiming to find new ideas to help end childhood sexual violence, by bringing in perspectives from other fields, filling in the gaps, going deeper and offering interviews in other languages. Running parallel to our visioning process, we cross-referenced the insights emerging from both processes to add strength to our collective outputs.
A group of global youth leaders in the sector came together to share insights, helping us ensure that youth perspectives are reflected in our final outputs.
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) was commissioned to gather views and insights on research and data related to childhood sexual violence.
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Leaders from across the sector
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Leaders from across the sector
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Leaders from across the sector
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Leaders from across the sector
Our vision
And what we need to realize it
Our vision
And what we need to realize it
Our vision
And what we need to realize it
Mapping the field
As outlined in the previous section, we have spoken to key stakeholders, including civil society leaders, practitioners, researchers, campaigners, and donors, to gain a deeper understanding of what supports, what hinders, and what provides hope in our mission to end childhood sexual violence.
Each conversation has added a new layer of understanding and nuance to our map of the landscape, while strengthening our sense of global community and collective power. Though everyone’s focus is unique, the visioning process helped people better understand their place in a bigger picture. We were not aiming to have everyone reach a consensus, but to understand cultural and socioeconomic differences and individual perspectives as we consolidated areas of common ground. The vision that follows is therefore supported both by quantifiable data and insights from the field.
As outlined in the previous section, we have spoken to key stakeholders, including civil society leaders, practitioners, researchers, campaigners, and donors, to gain a deeper understanding of what supports, what hinders, and what provides hope in our mission to end childhood sexual violence.
Each conversation has added a new layer of understanding and nuance to our map of the landscape, while strengthening our sense of global community and collective power. Though everyone’s focus is unique, the visioning process helped people better understand their place in a bigger picture. We were not aiming to have everyone reach a consensus, but to understand cultural and socioeconomic differences and individual perspectives as we consolidated areas of common ground. The vision that follows is therefore supported both by quantifiable data and insights from the field.
As outlined in the previous section, we have spoken to key stakeholders, including civil society leaders, practitioners, researchers, campaigners, and donors, to gain a deeper understanding of what supports, what hinders, and what provides hope in our mission to end childhood sexual violence.
Each conversation has added a new layer of understanding and nuance to our map of the landscape, while strengthening our sense of global community and collective power. Though everyone’s focus is unique, the visioning process helped people better understand their place in a bigger picture. We were not aiming to have everyone reach a consensus, but to understand cultural and socioeconomic differences and individual perspectives as we consolidated areas of common ground. The vision that follows is therefore supported both by quantifiable data and insights from the field.
As outlined in the previous section, we have spoken to key stakeholders, including civil society leaders, practitioners, researchers, campaigners, and donors, to gain a deeper understanding of what supports, what hinders, and what provides hope in our mission to end childhood sexual violence.
Each conversation has added a new layer of understanding and nuance to our map of the landscape, while strengthening our sense of global community and collective power. Though everyone’s focus is unique, the visioning process helped people better understand their place in a bigger picture. We were not aiming to have everyone reach a consensus, but to understand cultural and socioeconomic differences and individual perspectives as we consolidated areas of common ground. The vision that follows is therefore supported both by quantifiable data and insights from the field.
Capturing our vision
We heard in all our conversations a universal sense of desire for children to be safe above all else. What was also clear is that our field shares a strong conviction that we can end childhood sexual violence: it is preventable.
Our vision for that future, a future without CSV, naturally embraces all kinds of broad, positive outcomes. In terms of our immediate focus, it can be summed up in four themes; a safe and healthy world for children, a healthy culture with zero tolerance for CSV, strong systems of governance, justice and accountability, and collaboration, innovation and learning.
We heard in all our conversations a universal sense of desire for children to be safe above all else. What was also clear is that our field shares a strong conviction that we can end childhood sexual violence: it is preventable.
Our vision for that future, a future without CSV, naturally embraces all kinds of broad, positive outcomes. In terms of our immediate focus, it can be summed up in four themes; a safe and healthy world for children, a healthy culture with zero tolerance for CSV, strong systems of governance, justice and accountability, and collaboration, innovation and learning.
We heard in all our conversations a universal sense of desire for children to be safe above all else. What was also clear is that our field shares a strong conviction that we can end childhood sexual violence: it is preventable.
Our vision for that future, a future without CSV, naturally embraces all kinds of broad, positive outcomes. In terms of our immediate focus, it can be summed up in four themes; a safe and healthy world for children, a healthy culture with zero tolerance for CSV, strong systems of governance, justice and accountability, and collaboration, innovation and learning.
We heard in all our conversations a universal sense of desire for children to be safe above all else. What was also clear is that our field shares a strong conviction that we can end childhood sexual violence: it is preventable.
Our vision for that future, a future without CSV, naturally embraces all kinds of broad, positive outcomes. In terms of our immediate focus, it can be summed up in four themes; a safe and healthy world for children, a healthy culture with zero tolerance for CSV, strong systems of governance, justice and accountability, and collaboration, innovation and learning.
Theme 1: A safe and healthy world for children
Without the threat of abuse, everyone agreed that wider society benefits – for example with parents able to cease worrying and enjoy quality time with their children, and with public resources fed into life-enhancing activity rather than restoration, investigation and incarceration. Crucially, healthy children grow up to be healthy adults, meaning eradicating CSV will have a deeper societal impact that goes beyond restoring the natural joys of childhood.
Addressing contributory factors such as poverty, systemic inequality and oppression, and shifting gender expectations are key to lasting change. As those shifts take place, we must continue to provide therapeutic, trauma-informed services for survivors and well-resourced educational programs for families, for perpetrators, and for youth with problematic sexual behaviors. These are necessary actions to create healthier societies where childhood sexual violence should not occur.
Theme 1: A safe and healthy world for children
Without the threat of abuse, everyone agreed that wider society benefits – for example with parents able to cease worrying and enjoy quality time with their children, and with public resources fed into life-enhancing activity rather than restoration, investigation and incarceration. Crucially, healthy children grow up to be healthy adults, meaning eradicating CSV will have a deeper societal impact that goes beyond restoring the natural joys of childhood.
Addressing contributory factors such as poverty, systemic inequality and oppression, and shifting gender expectations are key to lasting change. As those shifts take place, we must continue to provide therapeutic, trauma-informed services for survivors and well-resourced educational programs for families, for perpetrators, and for youth with problematic sexual behaviors. These are necessary actions to create healthier societies where childhood sexual violence should not occur.
Theme 1: A safe and healthy world for children
Without the threat of abuse, everyone agreed that wider society benefits – for example with parents able to cease worrying and enjoy quality time with their children, and with public resources fed into life-enhancing activity rather than restoration, investigation and incarceration. Crucially, healthy children grow up to be healthy adults, meaning eradicating CSV will have a deeper societal impact that goes beyond restoring the natural joys of childhood.
Addressing contributory factors such as poverty, systemic inequality and oppression, and shifting gender expectations are key to lasting change. As those shifts take place, we must continue to provide therapeutic, trauma-informed services for survivors and well-resourced educational programs for families, for perpetrators, and for youth with problematic sexual behaviors. These are necessary actions to create healthier societies where childhood sexual violence should not occur.
Theme 1: A safe and healthy world for children
Without the threat of abuse, everyone agreed that wider society benefits – for example with parents able to cease worrying and enjoy quality time with their children, and with public resources fed into life-enhancing activity rather than restoration, investigation and incarceration. Crucially, healthy children grow up to be healthy adults, meaning eradicating CSV will have a deeper societal impact that goes beyond restoring the natural joys of childhood.
Addressing contributory factors such as poverty, systemic inequality and oppression, and shifting gender expectations are key to lasting change. As those shifts take place, we must continue to provide therapeutic, trauma-informed services for survivors and well-resourced educational programs for families, for perpetrators, and for youth with problematic sexual behaviors. These are necessary actions to create healthier societies where childhood sexual violence should not occur.
Theme 2: A healthy culture with zero tolerance for CSV
While a healthy culture will have zero tolerance for any incidence of sexual abuse, it should still be discussed openly. There’s a strong desire to normalize conversations around prevention, removing the shame and taboos that allow violence to continue in the shadows. It should be discussed as openly as other social problems, to maintain public and political attention and to ensure that survivors are able to disclose abuse without risk of further harm.
It’s clear the field recognizes longer term cultural changes are needed alongside providing greater support to survivors. One stakeholder expressed it in this way: “services can never be sufficiently upscaled as the need always outstrips provision”.
Theme 2: A healthy culture with zero tolerance for CSV
While a healthy culture will have zero tolerance for any incidence of sexual abuse, it should still be discussed openly. There’s a strong desire to normalize conversations around prevention, removing the shame and taboos that allow violence to continue in the shadows. It should be discussed as openly as other social problems, to maintain public and political attention and to ensure that survivors are able to disclose abuse without risk of further harm.
It’s clear the field recognizes longer term cultural changes are needed alongside providing greater support to survivors. One stakeholder expressed it in this way: “services can never be sufficiently upscaled as the need always outstrips provision”.
Theme 2: A healthy culture with zero tolerance for CSV
While a healthy culture will have zero tolerance for any incidence of sexual abuse, it should still be discussed openly. There’s a strong desire to normalize conversations around prevention, removing the shame and taboos that allow violence to continue in the shadows. It should be discussed as openly as other social problems, to maintain public and political attention and to ensure that survivors are able to disclose abuse without risk of further harm.
It’s clear the field recognizes longer term cultural changes are needed alongside providing greater support to survivors. One stakeholder expressed it in this way: “services can never be sufficiently upscaled as the need always outstrips provision”.
Theme 2: A healthy culture with zero tolerance for CSV
While a healthy culture will have zero tolerance for any incidence of sexual abuse, it should still be discussed openly. There’s a strong desire to normalize conversations around prevention, removing the shame and taboos that allow violence to continue in the shadows. It should be discussed as openly as other social problems, to maintain public and political attention and to ensure that survivors are able to disclose abuse without risk of further harm.
It’s clear the field recognizes longer term cultural changes are needed alongside providing greater support to survivors. One stakeholder expressed it in this way: “services can never be sufficiently upscaled as the need always outstrips provision”.
Theme 3: Strong systems of governance, justice and accountability
A central principle of our vision is that children deserve dignity and respect and should not be treated as the property of adults. Their voices must be listened to, as they develop a strong sense of agency and autonomy that they can carry into adulthood.
Government policies and sector decision making should prioritize children’s safety and well-being when delivering or designing services, legislation and regulation. They should also respect and engage children, adolescents and youth, using survivors’ voices to inform decisions and policies.
Strong regulation and oversight will keep private companies and public settings, including online environments, safe for children. They will reflect a culture that demands safety and is quick to respond to harm. Prevention and response programs from governments must be funded to match the scale of the problem, and technology must be regulated to remain safe as it evolves.
We envision a stronger culture of justice and accountability, with systems underpinned by a commitment to healing through restorative or even transformative justice. Justice will be accessible, survivor-centered, adapted for children where necessary, and holding perpetrators to account. We heard repeatedly the desire for prevention, justice and healing – all three, hand in hand.
Theme 3: Strong systems of governance, justice and accountability
A central principle of our vision is that children deserve dignity and respect and should not be treated as the property of adults. Their voices must be listened to, as they develop a strong sense of agency and autonomy that they can carry into adulthood.
Government policies and sector decision making should prioritize children’s safety and well-being when delivering or designing services, legislation and regulation. They should also respect and engage children, adolescents and youth, using survivors’ voices to inform decisions and policies.
Strong regulation and oversight will keep private companies and public settings, including online environments, safe for children. They will reflect a culture that demands safety and is quick to respond to harm. Prevention and response programs from governments must be funded to match the scale of the problem, and technology must be regulated to remain safe as it evolves.
We envision a stronger culture of justice and accountability, with systems underpinned by a commitment to healing through restorative or even transformative justice. Justice will be accessible, survivor-centered, adapted for children where necessary, and holding perpetrators to account. We heard repeatedly the desire for prevention, justice and healing – all three, hand in hand.
Theme 3: Strong systems of governance, justice and accountability
A central principle of our vision is that children deserve dignity and respect and should not be treated as the property of adults. Their voices must be listened to, as they develop a strong sense of agency and autonomy that they can carry into adulthood.
Government policies and sector decision making should prioritize children’s safety and well-being when delivering or designing services, legislation and regulation. They should also respect and engage children, adolescents and youth, using survivors’ voices to inform decisions and policies.
Strong regulation and oversight will keep private companies and public settings, including online environments, safe for children. They will reflect a culture that demands safety and is quick to respond to harm. Prevention and response programs from governments must be funded to match the scale of the problem, and technology must be regulated to remain safe as it evolves.
We envision a stronger culture of justice and accountability, with systems underpinned by a commitment to healing through restorative or even transformative justice. Justice will be accessible, survivor-centered, adapted for children where necessary, and holding perpetrators to account. We heard repeatedly the desire for prevention, justice and healing – all three, hand in hand.
Theme 3: Strong systems of governance, justice and accountability
A central principle of our vision is that children deserve dignity and respect and should not be treated as the property of adults. Their voices must be listened to, as they develop a strong sense of agency and autonomy that they can carry into adulthood.
Government policies and sector decision making should prioritize children’s safety and well-being when delivering or designing services, legislation and regulation. They should also respect and engage children, adolescents and youth, using survivors’ voices to inform decisions and policies.
Strong regulation and oversight will keep private companies and public settings, including online environments, safe for children. They will reflect a culture that demands safety and is quick to respond to harm. Prevention and response programs from governments must be funded to match the scale of the problem, and technology must be regulated to remain safe as it evolves.
We envision a stronger culture of justice and accountability, with systems underpinned by a commitment to healing through restorative or even transformative justice. Justice will be accessible, survivor-centered, adapted for children where necessary, and holding perpetrators to account. We heard repeatedly the desire for prevention, justice and healing – all three, hand in hand.
Theme 4: Collaboration, innovation and learning
Achieving our goal is clearly a shared endeavor. To realize change, our field will need to give greater attention to collaboration and sharing resources, recognizing that the pace of progress will differ in different contexts across the world.
It will also be essential for those in the field to stay ahead of the curve, with initiatives that provide constant learning and adaptation. Our culture of research must also become more dynamic, diverse, practice-oriented and robust, while exploring neglected areas and settings that could teach us something new.
Theme 4: Collaboration, innovation and learning
Achieving our goal is clearly a shared endeavor. To realize change, our field will need to give greater attention to collaboration and sharing resources, recognizing that the pace of progress will differ in different contexts across the world.
It will also be essential for those in the field to stay ahead of the curve, with initiatives that provide constant learning and adaptation. Our culture of research must also become more dynamic, diverse, practice-oriented and robust, while exploring neglected areas and settings that could teach us something new.
Theme 4: Collaboration, innovation and learning
Achieving our goal is clearly a shared endeavor. To realize change, our field will need to give greater attention to collaboration and sharing resources, recognizing that the pace of progress will differ in different contexts across the world.
It will also be essential for those in the field to stay ahead of the curve, with initiatives that provide constant learning and adaptation. Our culture of research must also become more dynamic, diverse, practice-oriented and robust, while exploring neglected areas and settings that could teach us something new.
Theme 4: Collaboration, innovation and learning
Achieving our goal is clearly a shared endeavor. To realize change, our field will need to give greater attention to collaboration and sharing resources, recognizing that the pace of progress will differ in different contexts across the world.
It will also be essential for those in the field to stay ahead of the curve, with initiatives that provide constant learning and adaptation. Our culture of research must also become more dynamic, diverse, practice-oriented and robust, while exploring neglected areas and settings that could teach us something new.
We heard in all our conversations a universal sense of desire for children to be safe above all else.
We heard in all our conversations a universal sense of desire for children to be safe above all else.
We heard in all our conversations a universal sense of desire for children to be safe above all else.
We heard in all our conversations a universal sense of desire for children to be safe above all else.
Sources of hope
We have a long way to go to realize this vision. Even so, there are many sources of hope and encouragement. Our stakeholders’ sentiment was that we have already come so far. Having a clear vision allows us to see where seeds and even green shoots of our vision already exist. If we can imagine it we can see it, and if we can see it we can grow it. We were extremely motivated by the courage, commitment and quality of work being done by every person we encountered, at all levels and across every continent.
These people were upbeat about the future, with good reason:
“There will always be outliers, but culture and societies can change.”
“There is an increasing social conscience, a sense of shared responsibility.”
“Public awareness is growing – the tectonic plates are shifting.”
One stakeholder from a political background said:
“Leaders’ attitudes have changed. There are champions in the senate who walk the talk, provide budget and people. If we can offer them effective things to invest in, they will. We take the changes we are seeing in society today for granted, but they are the result of patient work over many years.”
These sentiments are already delivering tangible results. At high level, more sophisticated research and available evidence, including innovative, cross-sector interventions designed for systemic impact, give us confidence that “we know what good looks like”. We’re seeing bolder bids and more funds available to bring them to life.
In the field, survivor councils and commissions are being established. More support groups have mobilized in the wake of #MeToo’s 2017 rallying cry, giving a voice to survivor, parent and youth advocates. They’re led by powerful, persuasive leaders, who are everywhere. Global commitments that galvanize progress to end childhood sexual violence, like the UN’s SDGs, are known and used across the world.
In legal systems, statutes of limitations are being overturned to facilitate justice for past offences, setting examples of models and standards that are being adopted in other jurisdictions. The culture is shifting. More diverse family structures are being recognized and we have evidence of the power of individual testimony in settings like US Congressional hearings.
The internet has been instrumental in connecting leaders across cultures and borders. Yet it also carries dangers. Public awareness is growing about ‘safety by design’ principles and there are mounting demands for regulation and greater accountability in the technology sector to ensure stronger online safety.
Hope is infectious and sharing our stories is deeply energizing. After reviewing today’s landscape, one veteran campaigner remarked:
“We are winning. We will win.”
We have a long way to go to realize this vision. Even so, there are many sources of hope and encouragement. Our stakeholders’ sentiment was that we have already come so far. Having a clear vision allows us to see where seeds and even green shoots of our vision already exist. If we can imagine it we can see it, and if we can see it we can grow it. We were extremely motivated by the courage, commitment and quality of work being done by every person we encountered, at all levels and across every continent.
These people were upbeat about the future, with good reason:
“There will always be outliers, but culture and societies can change.”
“There is an increasing social conscience, a sense of shared responsibility.”
“Public awareness is growing – the tectonic plates are shifting.”
One stakeholder from a political background said:
“Leaders’ attitudes have changed. There are champions in the senate who walk the talk, provide budget and people. If we can offer them effective things to invest in, they will. We take the changes we are seeing in society today for granted, but they are the result of patient work over many years.”
These sentiments are already delivering tangible results. At high level, more sophisticated research and available evidence, including innovative, cross-sector interventions designed for systemic impact, give us confidence that “we know what good looks like”. We’re seeing bolder bids and more funds available to bring them to life.
In the field, survivor councils and commissions are being established. More support groups have mobilized in the wake of #MeToo’s 2017 rallying cry, giving a voice to survivor, parent and youth advocates. They’re led by powerful, persuasive leaders, who are everywhere. Global commitments that galvanize progress to end childhood sexual violence, like the UN’s SDGs, are known and used across the world.
In legal systems, statutes of limitations are being overturned to facilitate justice for past offences, setting examples of models and standards that are being adopted in other jurisdictions. The culture is shifting. More diverse family structures are being recognized and we have evidence of the power of individual testimony in settings like US Congressional hearings.
The internet has been instrumental in connecting leaders across cultures and borders. Yet it also carries dangers. Public awareness is growing about ‘safety by design’ principles and there are mounting demands for regulation and greater accountability in the technology sector to ensure stronger online safety.
Hope is infectious and sharing our stories is deeply energizing. After reviewing today’s landscape, one veteran campaigner remarked:
“We are winning. We will win.”
We have a long way to go to realize this vision. Even so, there are many sources of hope and encouragement. Our stakeholders’ sentiment was that we have already come so far. Having a clear vision allows us to see where seeds and even green shoots of our vision already exist. If we can imagine it we can see it, and if we can see it we can grow it. We were extremely motivated by the courage, commitment and quality of work being done by every person we encountered, at all levels and across every continent.
These people were upbeat about the future, with good reason:
“There will always be outliers, but culture and societies can change.”
“There is an increasing social conscience, a sense of shared responsibility.”
“Public awareness is growing – the tectonic plates are shifting.”
One stakeholder from a political background said:
“Leaders’ attitudes have changed. There are champions in the senate who walk the talk, provide budget and people. If we can offer them effective things to invest in, they will. We take the changes we are seeing in society today for granted, but they are the result of patient work over many years.”
These sentiments are already delivering tangible results. At high level, more sophisticated research and available evidence, including innovative, cross-sector interventions designed for systemic impact, give us confidence that “we know what good looks like”. We’re seeing bolder bids and more funds available to bring them to life.
In the field, survivor councils and commissions are being established. More support groups have mobilized in the wake of #MeToo’s 2017 rallying cry, giving a voice to survivor, parent and youth advocates. They’re led by powerful, persuasive leaders, who are everywhere. Global commitments that galvanize progress to end childhood sexual violence, like the UN’s SDGs, are known and used across the world.
In legal systems, statutes of limitations are being overturned to facilitate justice for past offences, setting examples of models and standards that are being adopted in other jurisdictions. The culture is shifting. More diverse family structures are being recognized and we have evidence of the power of individual testimony in settings like US Congressional hearings.
The internet has been instrumental in connecting leaders across cultures and borders. Yet it also carries dangers. Public awareness is growing about ‘safety by design’ principles and there are mounting demands for regulation and greater accountability in the technology sector to ensure stronger online safety.
Hope is infectious and sharing our stories is deeply energizing. After reviewing today’s landscape, one veteran campaigner remarked:
“We are winning. We will win.”
We have a long way to go to realize this vision. Even so, there are many sources of hope and encouragement. Our stakeholders’ sentiment was that we have already come so far. Having a clear vision allows us to see where seeds and even green shoots of our vision already exist. If we can imagine it we can see it, and if we can see it we can grow it. We were extremely motivated by the courage, commitment and quality of work being done by every person we encountered, at all levels and across every continent.
These people were upbeat about the future, with good reason:
“There will always be outliers, but culture and societies can change.”
“There is an increasing social conscience, a sense of shared responsibility.”
“Public awareness is growing – the tectonic plates are shifting.”
One stakeholder from a political background said:
“Leaders’ attitudes have changed. There are champions in the senate who walk the talk, provide budget and people. If we can offer them effective things to invest in, they will. We take the changes we are seeing in society today for granted, but they are the result of patient work over many years.”
These sentiments are already delivering tangible results. At high level, more sophisticated research and available evidence, including innovative, cross-sector interventions designed for systemic impact, give us confidence that “we know what good looks like”. We’re seeing bolder bids and more funds available to bring them to life.
In the field, survivor councils and commissions are being established. More support groups have mobilized in the wake of #MeToo’s 2017 rallying cry, giving a voice to survivor, parent and youth advocates. They’re led by powerful, persuasive leaders, who are everywhere. Global commitments that galvanize progress to end childhood sexual violence, like the UN’s SDGs, are known and used across the world.
In legal systems, statutes of limitations are being overturned to facilitate justice for past offences, setting examples of models and standards that are being adopted in other jurisdictions. The culture is shifting. More diverse family structures are being recognized and we have evidence of the power of individual testimony in settings like US Congressional hearings.
The internet has been instrumental in connecting leaders across cultures and borders. Yet it also carries dangers. Public awareness is growing about ‘safety by design’ principles and there are mounting demands for regulation and greater accountability in the technology sector to ensure stronger online safety.
Hope is infectious and sharing our stories is deeply energizing. After reviewing today’s landscape, one veteran campaigner remarked:
“We are winning. We will win.”
We take the changes we are seeing in society today for granted, but they are the result of patient work over many years.
We take the changes we are seeing in society today for granted, but they are the result of patient work over many years.
We take the changes we are seeing in society today for granted, but they are the result of patient work over many years.
We take the changes we are seeing in society today for granted, but they are the result of patient work over many years.
Causes for concern
To achieve real change, we must be honest about what is frustrating further progress. None of these factors cancel out the many reasons for hope, but they must be acknowledged to provide essential context and guide our field’s approach.
Global
At a global level, many concerns relate to what the WHO has called the ‘age of chaos’, where tangled challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, conflict, displacement, and migration vie for attention and resources. Many of today’s biggest issues intersect with childhood sexual violence, meaning progress must be made in other areas to create lasting change.
From a legal perspective, national legislation alone is not effective in tackling cross-border issues. We need greater regional and global collaboration. We must find ways to work across differences in language, political and legal systems, cultures, approach, evidence gathering, and resource allocation.
Cultural
Culture is another pervasive concern. The current stigma means advocating for resources and change is challenging – particularly when it comes to the most heinous and taboo issues, such as incest or human trafficking of children. Culture wars, which breed polarization and use misinformation to cause moral panic, can even recede progress. Stakeholders called this “demoralizing”, noting that this backlash can paint advocates for social change as dangerous, radical, anti-family and anti-government disruptors.
Outside of this, practitioners noted that the public and politicians are less likely to believe ending CSV is possible, despite the field’s firm belief that it is. There remains a stubborn belief that violence is an individual issue, rather than a reflection of institutional and systemic failures. That view tends to blame children, survivors and parents, rather than perpetrators and the systems and structures that facilitate them.
There is also concern around making sure marginalized voices, which are less likely to be represented in data, are still part of the picture. In a session with DeafKidz International, where we heard from a group including deaf, blind, neurodivergent and physically disabled children, we noted concerns around being seen, heard, listened to and believed. They craved a world where they are included and cared for, with the freedom to help each other and to be “carefree children”.
Resourcing
Resourcing was a widespread concern, with civil society organizations spread thin and fighting powerful, anti-change forces. They explained that it is difficult to make time for collaboration when delivering their services is so consuming and urgent. There was also a desire to embrace more risk and flexibility to accommodate the rapidly changing landscape.
There are concerns around the quantity, quality and distribution of funding, with power imbalances between donors and recipients that perpetuate old patterns. A small group of private donors essentially fund the majority of work in this sector. Governments at all levels need to prioritize this issue by allocating funding and resources to actors working on the ground.
Prevention-focused work
Stakeholders were concerned about the lack of investment in the research and delivery of prevention programs, since prevention is a route to addressing the upstream causes of childhood sexual violence. Practitioners talked about “band-aid” solutions and symptomatic responses, with little time, support or capacity for deeper, root cause, prevention-focused work.
Justice systems
In almost every conversation, we heard that justice can be difficult to access, often easily suppressed and routinely includes processes that are re-traumatizing, insensitive and unsatisfactory. This is important: securing public interest, political commitments, better legislation and stronger regulation rely ultimately for their impact on effective systems of justice and accountability.
To achieve real change, we must be honest about what is frustrating further progress. None of these factors cancel out the many reasons for hope, but they must be acknowledged to provide essential context and guide our field’s approach.
Global
At a global level, many concerns relate to what the WHO has called the ‘age of chaos’, where tangled challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, conflict, displacement, and migration vie for attention and resources. Many of today’s biggest issues intersect with childhood sexual violence, meaning progress must be made in other areas to create lasting change.
From a legal perspective, national legislation alone is not effective in tackling cross-border issues. We need greater regional and global collaboration. We must find ways to work across differences in language, political and legal systems, cultures, approach, evidence gathering, and resource allocation.
Cultural
Culture is another pervasive concern. The current stigma means advocating for resources and change is challenging – particularly when it comes to the most heinous and taboo issues, such as incest or human trafficking of children. Culture wars, which breed polarization and use misinformation to cause moral panic, can even recede progress. Stakeholders called this “demoralizing”, noting that this backlash can paint advocates for social change as dangerous, radical, anti-family and anti-government disruptors.
Outside of this, practitioners noted that the public and politicians are less likely to believe ending CSV is possible, despite the field’s firm belief that it is. There remains a stubborn belief that violence is an individual issue, rather than a reflection of institutional and systemic failures. That view tends to blame children, survivors and parents, rather than perpetrators and the systems and structures that facilitate them.
There is also concern around making sure marginalized voices, which are less likely to be represented in data, are still part of the picture. In a session with DeafKidz International, where we heard from a group including deaf, blind, neurodivergent and physically disabled children, we noted concerns around being seen, heard, listened to and believed. They craved a world where they are included and cared for, with the freedom to help each other and to be “carefree children”.
Resourcing
Resourcing was a widespread concern, with civil society organizations spread thin and fighting powerful, anti-change forces. They explained that it is difficult to make time for collaboration when delivering their services is so consuming and urgent. There was also a desire to embrace more risk and flexibility to accommodate the rapidly changing landscape.
There are concerns around the quantity, quality and distribution of funding, with power imbalances between donors and recipients that perpetuate old patterns. A small group of private donors essentially fund the majority of work in this sector. Governments at all levels need to prioritize this issue by allocating funding and resources to actors working on the ground.
Prevention-focused work
Stakeholders were concerned about the lack of investment in the research and delivery of prevention programs, since prevention is a route to addressing the upstream causes of childhood sexual violence. Practitioners talked about “band-aid” solutions and symptomatic responses, with little time, support or capacity for deeper, root cause, prevention-focused work.
Justice systems
In almost every conversation, we heard that justice can be difficult to access, often easily suppressed and routinely includes processes that are re-traumatizing, insensitive and unsatisfactory. This is important: securing public interest, political commitments, better legislation and stronger regulation rely ultimately for their impact on effective systems of justice and accountability.
To achieve real change, we must be honest about what is frustrating further progress. None of these factors cancel out the many reasons for hope, but they must be acknowledged to provide essential context and guide our field’s approach.
Global
At a global level, many concerns relate to what the WHO has called the ‘age of chaos’, where tangled challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, conflict, displacement, and migration vie for attention and resources. Many of today’s biggest issues intersect with childhood sexual violence, meaning progress must be made in other areas to create lasting change.
From a legal perspective, national legislation alone is not effective in tackling cross-border issues. We need greater regional and global collaboration. We must find ways to work across differences in language, political and legal systems, cultures, approach, evidence gathering, and resource allocation.
Cultural
Culture is another pervasive concern. The current stigma means advocating for resources and change is challenging – particularly when it comes to the most heinous and taboo issues, such as incest or human trafficking of children. Culture wars, which breed polarization and use misinformation to cause moral panic, can even recede progress. Stakeholders called this “demoralizing”, noting that this backlash can paint advocates for social change as dangerous, radical, anti-family and anti-government disruptors.
Outside of this, practitioners noted that the public and politicians are less likely to believe ending CSV is possible, despite the field’s firm belief that it is. There remains a stubborn belief that violence is an individual issue, rather than a reflection of institutional and systemic failures. That view tends to blame children, survivors and parents, rather than perpetrators and the systems and structures that facilitate them.
There is also concern around making sure marginalized voices, which are less likely to be represented in data, are still part of the picture. In a session with DeafKidz International, where we heard from a group including deaf, blind, neurodivergent and physically disabled children, we noted concerns around being seen, heard, listened to and believed. They craved a world where they are included and cared for, with the freedom to help each other and to be “carefree children”.
Resourcing
Resourcing was a widespread concern, with civil society organizations spread thin and fighting powerful, anti-change forces. They explained that it is difficult to make time for collaboration when delivering their services is so consuming and urgent. There was also a desire to embrace more risk and flexibility to accommodate the rapidly changing landscape.
There are concerns around the quantity, quality and distribution of funding, with power imbalances between donors and recipients that perpetuate old patterns. A small group of private donors essentially fund the majority of work in this sector. Governments at all levels need to prioritize this issue by allocating funding and resources to actors working on the ground.
Prevention-focused work
Stakeholders were concerned about the lack of investment in the research and delivery of prevention programs, since prevention is a route to addressing the upstream causes of childhood sexual violence. Practitioners talked about “band-aid” solutions and symptomatic responses, with little time, support or capacity for deeper, root cause, prevention-focused work.
Justice systems
In almost every conversation, we heard that justice can be difficult to access, often easily suppressed and routinely includes processes that are re-traumatizing, insensitive and unsatisfactory. This is important: securing public interest, political commitments, better legislation and stronger regulation rely ultimately for their impact on effective systems of justice and accountability.
To achieve real change, we must be honest about what is frustrating further progress. None of these factors cancel out the many reasons for hope, but they must be acknowledged to provide essential context and guide our field’s approach.
Global
At a global level, many concerns relate to what the WHO has called the ‘age of chaos’, where tangled challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, conflict, displacement, and migration vie for attention and resources. Many of today’s biggest issues intersect with childhood sexual violence, meaning progress must be made in other areas to create lasting change.
From a legal perspective, national legislation alone is not effective in tackling cross-border issues. We need greater regional and global collaboration. We must find ways to work across differences in language, political and legal systems, cultures, approach, evidence gathering, and resource allocation.
Cultural
Culture is another pervasive concern. The current stigma means advocating for resources and change is challenging – particularly when it comes to the most heinous and taboo issues, such as incest or human trafficking of children. Culture wars, which breed polarization and use misinformation to cause moral panic, can even recede progress. Stakeholders called this “demoralizing”, noting that this backlash can paint advocates for social change as dangerous, radical, anti-family and anti-government disruptors.
Outside of this, practitioners noted that the public and politicians are less likely to believe ending CSV is possible, despite the field’s firm belief that it is. There remains a stubborn belief that violence is an individual issue, rather than a reflection of institutional and systemic failures. That view tends to blame children, survivors and parents, rather than perpetrators and the systems and structures that facilitate them.
There is also concern around making sure marginalized voices, which are less likely to be represented in data, are still part of the picture. In a session with DeafKidz International, where we heard from a group including deaf, blind, neurodivergent and physically disabled children, we noted concerns around being seen, heard, listened to and believed. They craved a world where they are included and cared for, with the freedom to help each other and to be “carefree children”.
Resourcing
Resourcing was a widespread concern, with civil society organizations spread thin and fighting powerful, anti-change forces. They explained that it is difficult to make time for collaboration when delivering their services is so consuming and urgent. There was also a desire to embrace more risk and flexibility to accommodate the rapidly changing landscape.
There are concerns around the quantity, quality and distribution of funding, with power imbalances between donors and recipients that perpetuate old patterns. A small group of private donors essentially fund the majority of work in this sector. Governments at all levels need to prioritize this issue by allocating funding and resources to actors working on the ground.
Prevention-focused work
Stakeholders were concerned about the lack of investment in the research and delivery of prevention programs, since prevention is a route to addressing the upstream causes of childhood sexual violence. Practitioners talked about “band-aid” solutions and symptomatic responses, with little time, support or capacity for deeper, root cause, prevention-focused work.
Justice systems
In almost every conversation, we heard that justice can be difficult to access, often easily suppressed and routinely includes processes that are re-traumatizing, insensitive and unsatisfactory. This is important: securing public interest, political commitments, better legislation and stronger regulation rely ultimately for their impact on effective systems of justice and accountability.
There is an increasing social conscience, a sense of shared responsibility.
There is an increasing social conscience, a sense of shared responsibility.
There is an increasing social conscience, a sense of shared responsibility.
There is an increasing social conscience, a sense of shared responsibility.
Our conversations have equipped us with a wealth of evidence, fresh perspectives and invaluable insights. They have allowed us to create a map of the field from within and discover a compass that points the way towards ending childhood sexual violence. This journey started long ago, but we now have a good sense of how to accelerate progress.
Our conversations have equipped us with a wealth of evidence, fresh perspectives and invaluable insights. They have allowed us to create a map of the field from within and discover a compass that points the way towards ending childhood sexual violence. This journey started long ago, but we now have a good sense of how to accelerate progress.
Our conversations have equipped us with a wealth of evidence, fresh perspectives and invaluable insights. They have allowed us to create a map of the field from within and discover a compass that points the way towards ending childhood sexual violence. This journey started long ago, but we now have a good sense of how to accelerate progress.
Our conversations have equipped us with a wealth of evidence, fresh perspectives and invaluable insights. They have allowed us to create a map of the field from within and discover a compass that points the way towards ending childhood sexual violence. This journey started long ago, but we now have a good sense of how to accelerate progress.
Scale what works and explore what could
Repeatedly, stakeholders expressed the view that we should scale what works: scale successful initiatives and implement initiatives based on similar principles (adjusted for cultural sensitivities) across more regions. Our initial Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report shared evidence on effective strategies and our conversations have helped us add new examples from a variety of sectors and countries. We also commissioned a Solutions Insights Lab report on identifying innovative responses and strategies, and a SVRI report on what works to end childhood sexual violence.
At the same time, there was a clear note of caution around putting all resources into scaling as it can exclude creativity and innovation. We also need to invest in and test new ideas. We can take measured risks that will allow novel practice to produce new evidence, alongside more familiar evidence-guided approaches.
Global alignment around what works was viewed as something that can “move mountains”. There needs to be space for new approaches too. One participant embraced the broadest perspective: “We need people doing the work their heart calls them to do, globally and locally, and at all levels.”.
Scale what works and explore what could
Repeatedly, stakeholders expressed the view that we should scale what works: scale successful initiatives and implement initiatives based on similar principles (adjusted for cultural sensitivities) across more regions. Our initial Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report shared evidence on effective strategies and our conversations have helped us add new examples from a variety of sectors and countries. We also commissioned a Solutions Insights Lab report on identifying innovative responses and strategies, and a SVRI report on what works to end childhood sexual violence.
At the same time, there was a clear note of caution around putting all resources into scaling as it can exclude creativity and innovation. We also need to invest in and test new ideas. We can take measured risks that will allow novel practice to produce new evidence, alongside more familiar evidence-guided approaches.
Global alignment around what works was viewed as something that can “move mountains”. There needs to be space for new approaches too. One participant embraced the broadest perspective: “We need people doing the work their heart calls them to do, globally and locally, and at all levels.”.
Scale what works and explore what could
Repeatedly, stakeholders expressed the view that we should scale what works: scale successful initiatives and implement initiatives based on similar principles (adjusted for cultural sensitivities) across more regions. Our initial Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report shared evidence on effective strategies and our conversations have helped us add new examples from a variety of sectors and countries. We also commissioned a Solutions Insights Lab report on identifying innovative responses and strategies, and a SVRI report on what works to end childhood sexual violence.
At the same time, there was a clear note of caution around putting all resources into scaling as it can exclude creativity and innovation. We also need to invest in and test new ideas. We can take measured risks that will allow novel practice to produce new evidence, alongside more familiar evidence-guided approaches.
Global alignment around what works was viewed as something that can “move mountains”. There needs to be space for new approaches too. One participant embraced the broadest perspective: “We need people doing the work their heart calls them to do, globally and locally, and at all levels.”.
Scale what works and explore what could
Repeatedly, stakeholders expressed the view that we should scale what works: scale successful initiatives and implement initiatives based on similar principles (adjusted for cultural sensitivities) across more regions. Our initial Getting to Zero: A Review of the Evidence to End Childhood Sexual Violence report shared evidence on effective strategies and our conversations have helped us add new examples from a variety of sectors and countries. We also commissioned a Solutions Insights Lab report on identifying innovative responses and strategies, and a SVRI report on what works to end childhood sexual violence.
At the same time, there was a clear note of caution around putting all resources into scaling as it can exclude creativity and innovation. We also need to invest in and test new ideas. We can take measured risks that will allow novel practice to produce new evidence, alongside more familiar evidence-guided approaches.
Global alignment around what works was viewed as something that can “move mountains”. There needs to be space for new approaches too. One participant embraced the broadest perspective: “We need people doing the work their heart calls them to do, globally and locally, and at all levels.”.
Focus on critical themes
Childhood sexual violence is a nuanced problem, so it is difficult to boil it down without overly simplifying the issue. Still, ending childhood sexual violence means navigating a complex, global sociopolitical landscape. Focusing on critical areas, considered in the fuller context of our field, will help us take targeted, effective action across the world.
Through our conversations, we have identified six themes that are critical, perhaps under-represented elsewhere, and ripe with opportunity for cross-sector, cross-practice alliances. Our conversations with stakeholders suggest that effective work in these areas is likely to make a significant contribution towards enabling the realization of our shared vision.
Focus on critical themes
Childhood sexual violence is a nuanced problem, so it is difficult to boil it down without overly simplifying the issue. Still, ending childhood sexual violence means navigating a complex, global sociopolitical landscape. Focusing on critical areas, considered in the fuller context of our field, will help us take targeted, effective action across the world.
Through our conversations, we have identified six themes that are critical, perhaps under-represented elsewhere, and ripe with opportunity for cross-sector, cross-practice alliances. Our conversations with stakeholders suggest that effective work in these areas is likely to make a significant contribution towards enabling the realization of our shared vision.
Focus on critical themes
Childhood sexual violence is a nuanced problem, so it is difficult to boil it down without overly simplifying the issue. Still, ending childhood sexual violence means navigating a complex, global sociopolitical landscape. Focusing on critical areas, considered in the fuller context of our field, will help us take targeted, effective action across the world.
Through our conversations, we have identified six themes that are critical, perhaps under-represented elsewhere, and ripe with opportunity for cross-sector, cross-practice alliances. Our conversations with stakeholders suggest that effective work in these areas is likely to make a significant contribution towards enabling the realization of our shared vision.
Focus on critical themes
Childhood sexual violence is a nuanced problem, so it is difficult to boil it down without overly simplifying the issue. Still, ending childhood sexual violence means navigating a complex, global sociopolitical landscape. Focusing on critical areas, considered in the fuller context of our field, will help us take targeted, effective action across the world.
Through our conversations, we have identified six themes that are critical, perhaps under-represented elsewhere, and ripe with opportunity for cross-sector, cross-practice alliances. Our conversations with stakeholders suggest that effective work in these areas is likely to make a significant contribution towards enabling the realization of our shared vision.
Six critical themes ripe for cross-sector practice and alliances
Prevention, healing and justice efforts are roots in evidence, with ability to scale
Robust, high quality research, funded across the globe and particularly in low-middle income countries will make a significant contribution to the sector. Prevention research is a particular priority. So too should be including currently marginalized groups in research studies, eg boys, children with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ children. Given the complexity of the issues involved, research that focuses on systemic, intersectional interventions with multiple outcomes will be especially valuable, building on what is currently an impressive but narrow base. Stakeholders also want to see evidence and research data put to good use, with locally developed, scalable solutions being recognized and funded.
Social norms shift to protect and nurture children and adolescents, regardless of gender or background
Transforming social norms is critical to longer-term change. Shifting blame away from survivors or their families to perpetrators and the systems and institutions that facilitate them is a prerequisite for addressing the roots of CSV. It will help to grow a broad-based consensus that CSV is preventable. For the most part the move will start with shifting stereotypes and ingrained assumptions – celebrating survivors for their courage and resilience, viewing children as people with agency and autonomy that develops into adulthood not the property of their caretakers, abandoning gender stereotypes in favor of diversity and inclusion, and supporting adolescents to develop safe and healthy peer relationships.
Accountability among governments and institutions is robust and effective
All our public and private institutions should be safe places. Laws and regulations to protect children have a big part to play, so long as they are fully and consistently enforced. Public condemnation, reputational harm and material sanctions for failure also have a role. At the same time, we should celebrate governments and institutions that embrace change, honor the commitments they make, and privilege child protection. Private sector businesses can be incentivized to do the same. Where there is law in place strategic litigation can be used to promote accountability. And justice systems need to be reformed to become better fit for purpose, survivor- and child-centric, sensitive to trauma and contributing to healing.
Political will exists to end CSV, which is evident in action and financing
Our theory of change suggests that generating political will to prompt government action on the issue of childhood sexual violence is likely to be highly influential on the entire field. We heard many examples from stakeholders about the power of personal testimony, on their terms and when ready, to move political leaders to action. We need to see more survivor leaders, parents, young people and caregivers becoming effective advocates, active in political spaces and drivers of political action. Broad movements and targeted campaigns will increase public awareness and demands for political action – increasingly within a frame that accepts ending childhood sexual violence as a realistic goal. We need to support political leaders and decision makers to take positive action and find ways to offer them gratitude and encouragement, beyond their own knowledge that they are doing the right thing.
Safe digital spaces where children can play and learn
There is great concern in the field about the relatively new ‘institutional space’ that is the digital world online. Our stakeholders recognized the great benefits of this space for connection, for learning, for play and entertainment. Yet it also carries dangers, like other unattended spaces. It remains relatively lightly regulated at present. We need to see that change, with strong regulation of tech companies and mechanisms to enforce compliance, including strong global collaboration among national governments to enforce the regulation of digital platforms. Campaigning and activism have shown some success in seeking to hold tech companies accountable for their wider influence. We want to see those companies take the lead by embracing safe design practices, and committing to clean up their platforms by removing, reporting and preventing child sexual abuse material.
Stakeholders working to end CSV are resourced, united and connected across sectors
We need to pay attention to the essential issues of alignment and resourcing across the field. Leaders and activists in the field, at all levels, need to be supported, financed and embraced as part of a system-wide effort. Long-term flexible funding should be available to all stakeholders, regardless of size or geography. And proven, successful interventions need funding to scale up, wherever they are. Addressing childhood sexual violence as a systemic problem requires a systemic response from a diverse and aligned community. National and regional groups will need support to grow and lead. The CSV field as a whole needs to seek out strong and productive synergies with stakeholders in other sectors.
Prevention, healing and justice efforts are roots in evidence, with ability to scale
Robust, high quality research, funded across the globe and particularly in low-middle income countries will make a significant contribution to the sector. Prevention research is a particular priority. So too should be including currently marginalized groups in research studies, eg boys, children with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ children. Given the complexity of the issues involved, research that focuses on systemic, intersectional interventions with multiple outcomes will be especially valuable, building on what is currently an impressive but narrow base. Stakeholders also want to see evidence and research data put to good use, with locally developed, scalable solutions being recognized and funded.
Social norms shift to protect and nurture children and adolescents, regardless of gender or background
Transforming social norms is critical to longer-term change. Shifting blame away from survivors or their families to perpetrators and the systems and institutions that facilitate them is a prerequisite for addressing the roots of CSV. It will help to grow a broad-based consensus that CSV is preventable. For the most part the move will start with shifting stereotypes and ingrained assumptions – celebrating survivors for their courage and resilience, viewing children as people with agency and autonomy that develops into adulthood not the property of their caretakers, abandoning gender stereotypes in favor of diversity and inclusion, and supporting adolescents to develop safe and healthy peer relationships.
Accountability among governments and institutions is robust and effective
All our public and private institutions should be safe places. Laws and regulations to protect children have a big part to play, so long as they are fully and consistently enforced. Public condemnation, reputational harm and material sanctions for failure also have a role. At the same time, we should celebrate governments and institutions that embrace change, honor the commitments they make, and privilege child protection. Private sector businesses can be incentivized to do the same. Where there is law in place strategic litigation can be used to promote accountability. And justice systems need to be reformed to become better fit for purpose, survivor- and child-centric, sensitive to trauma and contributing to healing.
Political will exists to end CSV, which is evident in action and financing
Our theory of change suggests that generating political will to prompt government action on the issue of childhood sexual violence is likely to be highly influential on the entire field. We heard many examples from stakeholders about the power of personal testimony, on their terms and when ready, to move political leaders to action. We need to see more survivor leaders, parents, young people and caregivers becoming effective advocates, active in political spaces and drivers of political action. Broad movements and targeted campaigns will increase public awareness and demands for political action – increasingly within a frame that accepts ending childhood sexual violence as a realistic goal. We need to support political leaders and decision makers to take positive action and find ways to offer them gratitude and encouragement, beyond their own knowledge that they are doing the right thing.
Safe digital spaces where children can play and learn
There is great concern in the field about the relatively new ‘institutional space’ that is the digital world online. Our stakeholders recognized the great benefits of this space for connection, for learning, for play and entertainment. Yet it also carries dangers, like other unattended spaces. It remains relatively lightly regulated at present. We need to see that change, with strong regulation of tech companies and mechanisms to enforce compliance, including strong global collaboration among national governments to enforce the regulation of digital platforms. Campaigning and activism have shown some success in seeking to hold tech companies accountable for their wider influence. We want to see those companies take the lead by embracing safe design practices, and committing to clean up their platforms by removing, reporting and preventing child sexual abuse material.
Stakeholders working to end CSV are resourced, united and connected across sectors
We need to pay attention to the essential issues of alignment and resourcing across the field. Leaders and activists in the field, at all levels, need to be supported, financed and embraced as part of a system-wide effort. Long-term flexible funding should be available to all stakeholders, regardless of size or geography. And proven, successful interventions need funding to scale up, wherever they are. Addressing childhood sexual violence as a systemic problem requires a systemic response from a diverse and aligned community. National and regional groups will need support to grow and lead. The CSV field as a whole needs to seek out strong and productive synergies with stakeholders in other sectors.
Prevention, healing and justice efforts are roots in evidence, with ability to scale
Robust, high quality research, funded across the globe and particularly in low-middle income countries will make a significant contribution to the sector. Prevention research is a particular priority. So too should be including currently marginalized groups in research studies, eg boys, children with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ children. Given the complexity of the issues involved, research that focuses on systemic, intersectional interventions with multiple outcomes will be especially valuable, building on what is currently an impressive but narrow base. Stakeholders also want to see evidence and research data put to good use, with locally developed, scalable solutions being recognized and funded.
Social norms shift to protect and nurture children and adolescents, regardless of gender or background
Transforming social norms is critical to longer-term change. Shifting blame away from survivors or their families to perpetrators and the systems and institutions that facilitate them is a prerequisite for addressing the roots of CSV. It will help to grow a broad-based consensus that CSV is preventable. For the most part the move will start with shifting stereotypes and ingrained assumptions – celebrating survivors for their courage and resilience, viewing children as people with agency and autonomy that develops into adulthood not the property of their caretakers, abandoning gender stereotypes in favor of diversity and inclusion, and supporting adolescents to develop safe and healthy peer relationships.
Accountability among governments and institutions is robust and effective
All our public and private institutions should be safe places. Laws and regulations to protect children have a big part to play, so long as they are fully and consistently enforced. Public condemnation, reputational harm and material sanctions for failure also have a role. At the same time, we should celebrate governments and institutions that embrace change, honor the commitments they make, and privilege child protection. Private sector businesses can be incentivized to do the same. Where there is law in place strategic litigation can be used to promote accountability. And justice systems need to be reformed to become better fit for purpose, survivor- and child-centric, sensitive to trauma and contributing to healing.
Political will exists to end CSV, which is evident in action and financing
Our theory of change suggests that generating political will to prompt government action on the issue of childhood sexual violence is likely to be highly influential on the entire field. We heard many examples from stakeholders about the power of personal testimony, on their terms and when ready, to move political leaders to action. We need to see more survivor leaders, parents, young people and caregivers becoming effective advocates, active in political spaces and drivers of political action. Broad movements and targeted campaigns will increase public awareness and demands for political action – increasingly within a frame that accepts ending childhood sexual violence as a realistic goal. We need to support political leaders and decision makers to take positive action and find ways to offer them gratitude and encouragement, beyond their own knowledge that they are doing the right thing.
Safe digital spaces where children can play and learn
There is great concern in the field about the relatively new ‘institutional space’ that is the digital world online. Our stakeholders recognized the great benefits of this space for connection, for learning, for play and entertainment. Yet it also carries dangers, like other unattended spaces. It remains relatively lightly regulated at present. We need to see that change, with strong regulation of tech companies and mechanisms to enforce compliance, including strong global collaboration among national governments to enforce the regulation of digital platforms. Campaigning and activism have shown some success in seeking to hold tech companies accountable for their wider influence. We want to see those companies take the lead by embracing safe design practices, and committing to clean up their platforms by removing, reporting and preventing child sexual abuse material.
Stakeholders working to end CSV are resourced, united and connected across sectors
We need to pay attention to the essential issues of alignment and resourcing across the field. Leaders and activists in the field, at all levels, need to be supported, financed and embraced as part of a system-wide effort. Long-term flexible funding should be available to all stakeholders, regardless of size or geography. And proven, successful interventions need funding to scale up, wherever they are. Addressing childhood sexual violence as a systemic problem requires a systemic response from a diverse and aligned community. National and regional groups will need support to grow and lead. The CSV field as a whole needs to seek out strong and productive synergies with stakeholders in other sectors.
Prevention, healing and justice efforts are roots in evidence, with ability to scale
Robust, high quality research, funded across the globe and particularly in low-middle income countries will make a significant contribution to the sector. Prevention research is a particular priority. So too should be including currently marginalized groups in research studies, eg boys, children with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ children. Given the complexity of the issues involved, research that focuses on systemic, intersectional interventions with multiple outcomes will be especially valuable, building on what is currently an impressive but narrow base. Stakeholders also want to see evidence and research data put to good use, with locally developed, scalable solutions being recognized and funded.
Social norms shift to protect and nurture children and adolescents, regardless of gender or background
Transforming social norms is critical to longer-term change. Shifting blame away from survivors or their families to perpetrators and the systems and institutions that facilitate them is a prerequisite for addressing the roots of CSV. It will help to grow a broad-based consensus that CSV is preventable. For the most part the move will start with shifting stereotypes and ingrained assumptions – celebrating survivors for their courage and resilience, viewing children as people with agency and autonomy that develops into adulthood not the property of their caretakers, abandoning gender stereotypes in favor of diversity and inclusion, and supporting adolescents to develop safe and healthy peer relationships.
Accountability among governments and institutions is robust and effective
All our public and private institutions should be safe places. Laws and regulations to protect children have a big part to play, so long as they are fully and consistently enforced. Public condemnation, reputational harm and material sanctions for failure also have a role. At the same time, we should celebrate governments and institutions that embrace change, honor the commitments they make, and privilege child protection. Private sector businesses can be incentivized to do the same. Where there is law in place strategic litigation can be used to promote accountability. And justice systems need to be reformed to become better fit for purpose, survivor- and child-centric, sensitive to trauma and contributing to healing.
Political will exists to end CSV, which is evident in action and financing
Our theory of change suggests that generating political will to prompt government action on the issue of childhood sexual violence is likely to be highly influential on the entire field. We heard many examples from stakeholders about the power of personal testimony, on their terms and when ready, to move political leaders to action. We need to see more survivor leaders, parents, young people and caregivers becoming effective advocates, active in political spaces and drivers of political action. Broad movements and targeted campaigns will increase public awareness and demands for political action – increasingly within a frame that accepts ending childhood sexual violence as a realistic goal. We need to support political leaders and decision makers to take positive action and find ways to offer them gratitude and encouragement, beyond their own knowledge that they are doing the right thing.
Safe digital spaces where children can play and learn
There is great concern in the field about the relatively new ‘institutional space’ that is the digital world online. Our stakeholders recognized the great benefits of this space for connection, for learning, for play and entertainment. Yet it also carries dangers, like other unattended spaces. It remains relatively lightly regulated at present. We need to see that change, with strong regulation of tech companies and mechanisms to enforce compliance, including strong global collaboration among national governments to enforce the regulation of digital platforms. Campaigning and activism have shown some success in seeking to hold tech companies accountable for their wider influence. We want to see those companies take the lead by embracing safe design practices, and committing to clean up their platforms by removing, reporting and preventing child sexual abuse material.
Stakeholders working to end CSV are resourced, united and connected across sectors
We need to pay attention to the essential issues of alignment and resourcing across the field. Leaders and activists in the field, at all levels, need to be supported, financed and embraced as part of a system-wide effort. Long-term flexible funding should be available to all stakeholders, regardless of size or geography. And proven, successful interventions need funding to scale up, wherever they are. Addressing childhood sexual violence as a systemic problem requires a systemic response from a diverse and aligned community. National and regional groups will need support to grow and lead. The CSV field as a whole needs to seek out strong and productive synergies with stakeholders in other sectors.
Strengthening the field
Aside from these six critical themes, we also identified measures that can contribute to strengthening the field overall. We asked stakeholders what could be added or reevaluated to help organizations be more effective in realizing our collective vision.
Invest in capacity and leadership
Our field relies on civil society organizations, and their leaders, to drive actions to eliminate childhood sexual violence. We need to invest in, protect and develop these groups, and cannot expect to achieve our aims without investing in the means for action. We heard lots of calls for funding to help develop and spread specialist skills in the sector, for example training to engage with sensory-impaired individuals, lead trauma-informed practice, and to support leadership development.
Stakeholders also identified the need to grow an increased competence to facilitate difficult conversations within the field, exploring points of significant tension where they occur.
Strengthen our field’s infrastructure
From our first conversations, it became clear that our collective power holds tremendous potential. Stakeholders were excited to come together and speak with a shared voice, to support each other, to share resources and learning. It is essential to strengthen the collaborative infrastructure of our sector. That will contribute to effective movement building. Citing the global movement that has brought the climate emergency to prominence, stakeholders expressed desire to similarly “mobilize an ecosystem of change”.
Stronger campaigning to shift the landscape
Some stakeholders want shared communication resources to facilitate campaigning in our over-stretched sector, allowing groups to lift core messages, access sympathetic journalists and leverage key data with ease. There could also be shared learning and development resources to help groups embody effective 21st-century campaigning, activism and movement building that drives real change. The message should be positive, global in outlook, based in hope and informed by evidence to motivate action and change – being tough on issues but soft on people to account for personal experiences.
Address root causes
Social change work relies on three strands - scaling up, scaling out and scaling deep. Scaling up focuses on changing policies, regulations and laws. Scaling out looks to spread effective changes across geographies. Scaling deep is about shifting the underlying values and cultures that allow childhood sexual violence to happen.
In the CSV prevention space, scaling deep means listening to human experience alongside technical, scientific, and political ideas. One stakeholder commented:
“This is not a disease to be eradicated with a vaccine or a treatment. It is a social crisis.”
Alongside technical interventions, we must engage in patient healing work to restore what perpetrators are missing and CSV takes away from survivors. As one stakeholder phrased it:
“We should focus on healing and wholeness. Healing is a form of prevention. We must address people’s brokenness.”
Another stakeholder remarked on the “complex depths” of many abuse cases, explaining:
“Parents are often abusers, peer-to-peer abuse is on the rise, and those abused themselves often become abusers in turn. Most abusers have a relationship with the children and young people they abuse, often within the family.”
Our conversations highlighted the need to allocate more resources to support children and families. If we can bring “the marginalized back from the margins”, where they are prey to exploitation and violence, we can fight social ills like childhood sexual violence.
Profit is also a powerful driver of practices that prevent societal healing, such as the exploitation of vulnerable children or the pornography industry. Scaling deep could also mean exploring how the economy facilitates harm, investigating philosopher Michael Sandel’s “moral limits of markets” and new concepts such as the well-being economy.
There are lots of other ways to scale deep, but the critical move remains the same: there must be space to explore underlying values, structures of power and the psychological depth evident in the human system. One stakeholder summed it up by saying:
“This is human work. It starts small and takes time. This is not a quick win, bang for the buck investment opportunity.”
This is the deeper work.
Strengthening the field
Aside from these six critical themes, we also identified measures that can contribute to strengthening the field overall. We asked stakeholders what could be added or reevaluated to help organizations be more effective in realizing our collective vision.
Invest in capacity and leadership
Our field relies on civil society organizations, and their leaders, to drive actions to eliminate childhood sexual violence. We need to invest in, protect and develop these groups, and cannot expect to achieve our aims without investing in the means for action. We heard lots of calls for funding to help develop and spread specialist skills in the sector, for example training to engage with sensory-impaired individuals, lead trauma-informed practice, and to support leadership development.
Stakeholders also identified the need to grow an increased competence to facilitate difficult conversations within the field, exploring points of significant tension where they occur.
Strengthen our field’s infrastructure
From our first conversations, it became clear that our collective power holds tremendous potential. Stakeholders were excited to come together and speak with a shared voice, to support each other, to share resources and learning. It is essential to strengthen the collaborative infrastructure of our sector. That will contribute to effective movement building. Citing the global movement that has brought the climate emergency to prominence, stakeholders expressed desire to similarly “mobilize an ecosystem of change”.
Stronger campaigning to shift the landscape
Some stakeholders want shared communication resources to facilitate campaigning in our over-stretched sector, allowing groups to lift core messages, access sympathetic journalists and leverage key data with ease. There could also be shared learning and development resources to help groups embody effective 21st-century campaigning, activism and movement building that drives real change. The message should be positive, global in outlook, based in hope and informed by evidence to motivate action and change – being tough on issues but soft on people to account for personal experiences.
Address root causes
Social change work relies on three strands - scaling up, scaling out and scaling deep. Scaling up focuses on changing policies, regulations and laws. Scaling out looks to spread effective changes across geographies. Scaling deep is about shifting the underlying values and cultures that allow childhood sexual violence to happen.
In the CSV prevention space, scaling deep means listening to human experience alongside technical, scientific, and political ideas. One stakeholder commented:
“This is not a disease to be eradicated with a vaccine or a treatment. It is a social crisis.”
Alongside technical interventions, we must engage in patient healing work to restore what perpetrators are missing and CSV takes away from survivors. As one stakeholder phrased it:
“We should focus on healing and wholeness. Healing is a form of prevention. We must address people’s brokenness.”
Another stakeholder remarked on the “complex depths” of many abuse cases, explaining:
“Parents are often abusers, peer-to-peer abuse is on the rise, and those abused themselves often become abusers in turn. Most abusers have a relationship with the children and young people they abuse, often within the family.”
Our conversations highlighted the need to allocate more resources to support children and families. If we can bring “the marginalized back from the margins”, where they are prey to exploitation and violence, we can fight social ills like childhood sexual violence.
Profit is also a powerful driver of practices that prevent societal healing, such as the exploitation of vulnerable children or the pornography industry. Scaling deep could also mean exploring how the economy facilitates harm, investigating philosopher Michael Sandel’s “moral limits of markets” and new concepts such as the well-being economy.
There are lots of other ways to scale deep, but the critical move remains the same: there must be space to explore underlying values, structures of power and the psychological depth evident in the human system. One stakeholder summed it up by saying:
“This is human work. It starts small and takes time. This is not a quick win, bang for the buck investment opportunity.”
This is the deeper work.
Strengthening the field
Aside from these six critical themes, we also identified measures that can contribute to strengthening the field overall. We asked stakeholders what could be added or reevaluated to help organizations be more effective in realizing our collective vision.
Invest in capacity and leadership
Our field relies on civil society organizations, and their leaders, to drive actions to eliminate childhood sexual violence. We need to invest in, protect and develop these groups, and cannot expect to achieve our aims without investing in the means for action. We heard lots of calls for funding to help develop and spread specialist skills in the sector, for example training to engage with sensory-impaired individuals, lead trauma-informed practice, and to support leadership development.
Stakeholders also identified the need to grow an increased competence to facilitate difficult conversations within the field, exploring points of significant tension where they occur.
Strengthen our field’s infrastructure
From our first conversations, it became clear that our collective power holds tremendous potential. Stakeholders were excited to come together and speak with a shared voice, to support each other, to share resources and learning. It is essential to strengthen the collaborative infrastructure of our sector. That will contribute to effective movement building. Citing the global movement that has brought the climate emergency to prominence, stakeholders expressed desire to similarly “mobilize an ecosystem of change”.
Stronger campaigning to shift the landscape
Some stakeholders want shared communication resources to facilitate campaigning in our over-stretched sector, allowing groups to lift core messages, access sympathetic journalists and leverage key data with ease. There could also be shared learning and development resources to help groups embody effective 21st-century campaigning, activism and movement building that drives real change. The message should be positive, global in outlook, based in hope and informed by evidence to motivate action and change – being tough on issues but soft on people to account for personal experiences.
Address root causes
Social change work relies on three strands - scaling up, scaling out and scaling deep. Scaling up focuses on changing policies, regulations and laws. Scaling out looks to spread effective changes across geographies. Scaling deep is about shifting the underlying values and cultures that allow childhood sexual violence to happen.
In the CSV prevention space, scaling deep means listening to human experience alongside technical, scientific, and political ideas. One stakeholder commented:
“This is not a disease to be eradicated with a vaccine or a treatment. It is a social crisis.”
Alongside technical interventions, we must engage in patient healing work to restore what perpetrators are missing and CSV takes away from survivors. As one stakeholder phrased it:
“We should focus on healing and wholeness. Healing is a form of prevention. We must address people’s brokenness.”
Another stakeholder remarked on the “complex depths” of many abuse cases, explaining:
“Parents are often abusers, peer-to-peer abuse is on the rise, and those abused themselves often become abusers in turn. Most abusers have a relationship with the children and young people they abuse, often within the family.”
Our conversations highlighted the need to allocate more resources to support children and families. If we can bring “the marginalized back from the margins”, where they are prey to exploitation and violence, we can fight social ills like childhood sexual violence.
Profit is also a powerful driver of practices that prevent societal healing, such as the exploitation of vulnerable children or the pornography industry. Scaling deep could also mean exploring how the economy facilitates harm, investigating philosopher Michael Sandel’s “moral limits of markets” and new concepts such as the well-being economy.
There are lots of other ways to scale deep, but the critical move remains the same: there must be space to explore underlying values, structures of power and the psychological depth evident in the human system. One stakeholder summed it up by saying:
“This is human work. It starts small and takes time. This is not a quick win, bang for the buck investment opportunity.”
This is the deeper work.
Strengthening the field
Aside from these six critical themes, we also identified measures that can contribute to strengthening the field overall. We asked stakeholders what could be added or reevaluated to help organizations be more effective in realizing our collective vision.
Invest in capacity and leadership
Our field relies on civil society organizations, and their leaders, to drive actions to eliminate childhood sexual violence. We need to invest in, protect and develop these groups, and cannot expect to achieve our aims without investing in the means for action. We heard lots of calls for funding to help develop and spread specialist skills in the sector, for example training to engage with sensory-impaired individuals, lead trauma-informed practice, and to support leadership development.
Stakeholders also identified the need to grow an increased competence to facilitate difficult conversations within the field, exploring points of significant tension where they occur.
Strengthen our field’s infrastructure
From our first conversations, it became clear that our collective power holds tremendous potential. Stakeholders were excited to come together and speak with a shared voice, to support each other, to share resources and learning. It is essential to strengthen the collaborative infrastructure of our sector. That will contribute to effective movement building. Citing the global movement that has brought the climate emergency to prominence, stakeholders expressed desire to similarly “mobilize an ecosystem of change”.
Stronger campaigning to shift the landscape
Some stakeholders want shared communication resources to facilitate campaigning in our over-stretched sector, allowing groups to lift core messages, access sympathetic journalists and leverage key data with ease. There could also be shared learning and development resources to help groups embody effective 21st-century campaigning, activism and movement building that drives real change. The message should be positive, global in outlook, based in hope and informed by evidence to motivate action and change – being tough on issues but soft on people to account for personal experiences.
Address root causes
Social change work relies on three strands - scaling up, scaling out and scaling deep. Scaling up focuses on changing policies, regulations and laws. Scaling out looks to spread effective changes across geographies. Scaling deep is about shifting the underlying values and cultures that allow childhood sexual violence to happen.
In the CSV prevention space, scaling deep means listening to human experience alongside technical, scientific, and political ideas. One stakeholder commented:
“This is not a disease to be eradicated with a vaccine or a treatment. It is a social crisis.”
Alongside technical interventions, we must engage in patient healing work to restore what perpetrators are missing and CSV takes away from survivors. As one stakeholder phrased it:
“We should focus on healing and wholeness. Healing is a form of prevention. We must address people’s brokenness.”
Another stakeholder remarked on the “complex depths” of many abuse cases, explaining:
“Parents are often abusers, peer-to-peer abuse is on the rise, and those abused themselves often become abusers in turn. Most abusers have a relationship with the children and young people they abuse, often within the family.”
Our conversations highlighted the need to allocate more resources to support children and families. If we can bring “the marginalized back from the margins”, where they are prey to exploitation and violence, we can fight social ills like childhood sexual violence.
Profit is also a powerful driver of practices that prevent societal healing, such as the exploitation of vulnerable children or the pornography industry. Scaling deep could also mean exploring how the economy facilitates harm, investigating philosopher Michael Sandel’s “moral limits of markets” and new concepts such as the well-being economy.
There are lots of other ways to scale deep, but the critical move remains the same: there must be space to explore underlying values, structures of power and the psychological depth evident in the human system. One stakeholder summed it up by saying:
“This is human work. It starts small and takes time. This is not a quick win, bang for the buck investment opportunity.”
This is the deeper work.
“We should focus on healing and wholeness. Healing is a form of prevention. We must address people’s brokenness.”
“We should focus on healing and wholeness. Healing is a form of prevention. We must address people’s brokenness.”
“We should focus on healing and wholeness. Healing is a form of prevention. We must address people’s brokenness.”
“We should focus on healing and wholeness. Healing is a form of prevention. We must address people’s brokenness.”
Another stakeholder remarked on the “complex depths” of many abuse cases, explaining:
Another stakeholder remarked on the “complex depths” of many abuse cases, explaining:
Another stakeholder remarked on the “complex depths” of many abuse cases, explaining:
Another stakeholder remarked on the “complex depths” of many abuse cases, explaining:
“Parents are often abusers, peer-to-peer abuse is on the rise, and those abused themselves often become abusers in turn. Most abusers have a relationship with the children and young people they abuse, often within the family.”
“Parents are often abusers, peer-to-peer abuse is on the rise, and those abused themselves often become abusers in turn. Most abusers have a relationship with the children and young people they abuse, often within the family.”
“Parents are often abusers, peer-to-peer abuse is on the rise, and those abused themselves often become abusers in turn. Most abusers have a relationship with the children and young people they abuse, often within the family.”
“Parents are often abusers, peer-to-peer abuse is on the rise, and those abused themselves often become abusers in turn. Most abusers have a relationship with the children and young people they abuse, often within the family.”
Our conversations highlighted the need to allocate more resources to support children and families. If we can bring “the marginalized back from the margins”, where they are prey to exploitation and violence, we can fight social ills like childhood sexual violence.
Profit is also a powerful driver of practices that prevent societal healing, such as the exploitation of vulnerable children or the pornography industry. Scaling deep could also mean exploring how the economy facilitates harm, investigating philosopher Michael Sandel’s “moral limits of markets” and new concepts such as the well-being economy.
There are lots of other ways to scale deep, but the critical move remains the same: there must be space to explore underlying values, structures of power and the psychological depth evident in the human system. One stakeholder summed it up by saying:
“This is human work. It starts small and takes time. This is not a quick win, bang for the buck investment opportunity.”
This is the deeper work.
Our conversations highlighted the need to allocate more resources to support children and families. If we can bring “the marginalized back from the margins”, where they are prey to exploitation and violence, we can fight social ills like childhood sexual violence.
Profit is also a powerful driver of practices that prevent societal healing, such as the exploitation of vulnerable children or the pornography industry. Scaling deep could also mean exploring how the economy facilitates harm, investigating philosopher Michael Sandel’s “moral limits of markets” and new concepts such as the well-being economy.
There are lots of other ways to scale deep, but the critical move remains the same: there must be space to explore underlying values, structures of power and the psychological depth evident in the human system. One stakeholder summed it up by saying:
“This is human work. It starts small and takes time. This is not a quick win, bang for the buck investment opportunity.”
This is the deeper work.
Our conversations highlighted the need to allocate more resources to support children and families. If we can bring “the marginalized back from the margins”, where they are prey to exploitation and violence, we can fight social ills like childhood sexual violence.
Profit is also a powerful driver of practices that prevent societal healing, such as the exploitation of vulnerable children or the pornography industry. Scaling deep could also mean exploring how the economy facilitates harm, investigating philosopher Michael Sandel’s “moral limits of markets” and new concepts such as the well-being economy.
There are lots of other ways to scale deep, but the critical move remains the same: there must be space to explore underlying values, structures of power and the psychological depth evident in the human system. One stakeholder summed it up by saying:
“This is human work. It starts small and takes time. This is not a quick win, bang for the buck investment opportunity.”
This is the deeper work.
Our conversations highlighted the need to allocate more resources to support children and families. If we can bring “the marginalized back from the margins”, where they are prey to exploitation and violence, we can fight social ills like childhood sexual violence.
Profit is also a powerful driver of practices that prevent societal healing, such as the exploitation of vulnerable children or the pornography industry. Scaling deep could also mean exploring how the economy facilitates harm, investigating philosopher Michael Sandel’s “moral limits of markets” and new concepts such as the well-being economy.
There are lots of other ways to scale deep, but the critical move remains the same: there must be space to explore underlying values, structures of power and the psychological depth evident in the human system. One stakeholder summed it up by saying:
“This is human work. It starts small and takes time. This is not a quick win, bang for the buck investment opportunity.”
This is the deeper work.
We need people doing the work their heart calls them to do, globally and locally, and at all levels.
We need people doing the work their heart calls them to do, globally and locally, and at all levels.
We need people doing the work their heart calls them to do, globally and locally, and at all levels.
We need people doing the work their heart calls them to do, globally and locally, and at all levels.
Our Action Accelerators
We also recognize the strongly felt need in the sector for examples of coherent actions to align behind, actions that we know will make a difference and that, if pursued together at pace, will significantly change the landscape.
Based on the above, informed by our conversations and drawn from the six critical thematic areas identified, we have formulated ‘Action Accelerators’ to do just that.
On their own, each accelerator is an example of something that can deliver transformative change over the next five years, with clear opportunities for action and organizations and people in place to facilitate it. Others are already working in this way, or may be inspired to devise their own actions meeting these criteria. Together, we believe they can help us realize our ultimate goal of a world free from childhood sexual violence.
Our Action Accelerators
We also recognize the strongly felt need in the sector for examples of coherent actions to align behind, actions that we know will make a difference and that, if pursued together at pace, will significantly change the landscape.
Based on the above, informed by our conversations and drawn from the six critical thematic areas identified, we have formulated ‘Action Accelerators’ to do just that.
On their own, each accelerator is an example of something that can deliver transformative change over the next five years, with clear opportunities for action and organizations and people in place to facilitate it. Others are already working in this way, or may be inspired to devise their own actions meeting these criteria. Together, we believe they can help us realize our ultimate goal of a world free from childhood sexual violence.
Our Action Accelerators
We also recognize the strongly felt need in the sector for examples of coherent actions to align behind, actions that we know will make a difference and that, if pursued together at pace, will significantly change the landscape.
Based on the above, informed by our conversations and drawn from the six critical thematic areas identified, we have formulated ‘Action Accelerators’ to do just that.
On their own, each accelerator is an example of something that can deliver transformative change over the next five years, with clear opportunities for action and organizations and people in place to facilitate it. Others are already working in this way, or may be inspired to devise their own actions meeting these criteria. Together, we believe they can help us realize our ultimate goal of a world free from childhood sexual violence.
Our Action Accelerators
We also recognize the strongly felt need in the sector for examples of coherent actions to align behind, actions that we know will make a difference and that, if pursued together at pace, will significantly change the landscape.
Based on the above, informed by our conversations and drawn from the six critical thematic areas identified, we have formulated ‘Action Accelerators’ to do just that.
On their own, each accelerator is an example of something that can deliver transformative change over the next five years, with clear opportunities for action and organizations and people in place to facilitate it. Others are already working in this way, or may be inspired to devise their own actions meeting these criteria. Together, we believe they can help us realize our ultimate goal of a world free from childhood sexual violence.
1. Transform the narratives around childhood sexual violence by ending the culture of silence and centering prevention
The challenge
Changing the narratives that define CSV is complex. Narratives reflect the way we interpret the world and how it works. Shifting them can lead to difficult conversations about meaning, what is important and what must change.
To succeed in changing narratives, it’s essential to create hope-driven, action-oriented stories that center lived experiences and feel personal and compelling. They must be repeated often and adapted to new contexts, helping to reframe CSV for decision makers and change the core values of cultures and institutions.
Broadly, stakeholders agree changing the narratives is a top priority for CSV prevention. Current narratives perpetuate the silence, stigma, and shame that survivors bear rather than their abusers. They also breed misinformation around the scale and universal nature of the problem and fuel fatalism about its preventability.
The challenge
Changing the narratives that define CSV is complex. Narratives reflect the way we interpret the world and how it works. Shifting them can lead to difficult conversations about meaning, what is important and what must change.
To succeed in changing narratives, it’s essential to create hope-driven, action-oriented stories that center lived experiences and feel personal and compelling. They must be repeated often and adapted to new contexts, helping to reframe CSV for decision makers and change the core values of cultures and institutions.
Broadly, stakeholders agree changing the narratives is a top priority for CSV prevention. Current narratives perpetuate the silence, stigma, and shame that survivors bear rather than their abusers. They also breed misinformation around the scale and universal nature of the problem and fuel fatalism about its preventability.
The challenge
Changing the narratives that define CSV is complex. Narratives reflect the way we interpret the world and how it works. Shifting them can lead to difficult conversations about meaning, what is important and what must change.
To succeed in changing narratives, it’s essential to create hope-driven, action-oriented stories that center lived experiences and feel personal and compelling. They must be repeated often and adapted to new contexts, helping to reframe CSV for decision makers and change the core values of cultures and institutions.
Broadly, stakeholders agree changing the narratives is a top priority for CSV prevention. Current narratives perpetuate the silence, stigma, and shame that survivors bear rather than their abusers. They also breed misinformation around the scale and universal nature of the problem and fuel fatalism about its preventability.
The challenge
Changing the narratives that define CSV is complex. Narratives reflect the way we interpret the world and how it works. Shifting them can lead to difficult conversations about meaning, what is important and what must change.
To succeed in changing narratives, it’s essential to create hope-driven, action-oriented stories that center lived experiences and feel personal and compelling. They must be repeated often and adapted to new contexts, helping to reframe CSV for decision makers and change the core values of cultures and institutions.
Broadly, stakeholders agree changing the narratives is a top priority for CSV prevention. Current narratives perpetuate the silence, stigma, and shame that survivors bear rather than their abusers. They also breed misinformation around the scale and universal nature of the problem and fuel fatalism about its preventability.
Where we can make a difference
We must normalize conversations around CSV – a topic currently hidden by a global culture of silence – including bring more attention to incest and abuse in the home. CSV is considered a private and highly stigmatized topic, often avoided even in the confines of families and intimate relationships. Normalizing conversations around CSV would encourage collective responsibility, reduce the stigma and shame that prevents survivors disclosing abuse, and make CSV a social issue that policy makers are less likely to ignore. This process will look and feel different across settings, but the underlying goal will remain the same.
The new narratives around CSV will shift and evolve as it is embraced in different contexts and by different messengers. Advocates will need to start where people are, remaining flexible in how they start conversations without compromising on principles. They will also need to find the right messengers, i.e. context-specific, credible messengers who grasp and embrace the vision to enhance the new narratives’ integrity.
Transforming the narratives around CSV will support prevention, healing and justice in multiple ways:
increase awareness of CSV and the evidence-based solutions that could end it;
help shift the stigma and blame from survivors to the systems and institutions that facilitate their abuse;
increase the number of children willing to disclose their abuse;
heighten parents’ and caregivers’ awareness of risk and services to prevent and respond to harm;
open dialogue on CSV in policy arenas; and
challenge the impunity for people and institutions that expose children to risks and abuse.
Prioritizing prevention would put more pressure on every person who engages with children to mitigate risks. Finally, promoting more unified, informed, and consistent narratives of hope and progress around CSV would help the public rally behind our field and demand change.
Where we can make a difference
We must normalize conversations around CSV – a topic currently hidden by a global culture of silence – including bring more attention to incest and abuse in the home. CSV is considered a private and highly stigmatized topic, often avoided even in the confines of families and intimate relationships. Normalizing conversations around CSV would encourage collective responsibility, reduce the stigma and shame that prevents survivors disclosing abuse, and make CSV a social issue that policy makers are less likely to ignore. This process will look and feel different across settings, but the underlying goal will remain the same.
The new narratives around CSV will shift and evolve as it is embraced in different contexts and by different messengers. Advocates will need to start where people are, remaining flexible in how they start conversations without compromising on principles. They will also need to find the right messengers, i.e. context-specific, credible messengers who grasp and embrace the vision to enhance the new narratives’ integrity.
Transforming the narratives around CSV will support prevention, healing and justice in multiple ways:
increase awareness of CSV and the evidence-based solutions that could end it;
help shift the stigma and blame from survivors to the systems and institutions that facilitate their abuse;
increase the number of children willing to disclose their abuse;
heighten parents’ and caregivers’ awareness of risk and services to prevent and respond to harm;
open dialogue on CSV in policy arenas; and
challenge the impunity for people and institutions that expose children to risks and abuse.
Prioritizing prevention would put more pressure on every person who engages with children to mitigate risks. Finally, promoting more unified, informed, and consistent narratives of hope and progress around CSV would help the public rally behind our field and demand change.
Where we can make a difference
We must normalize conversations around CSV – a topic currently hidden by a global culture of silence – including bring more attention to incest and abuse in the home. CSV is considered a private and highly stigmatized topic, often avoided even in the confines of families and intimate relationships. Normalizing conversations around CSV would encourage collective responsibility, reduce the stigma and shame that prevents survivors disclosing abuse, and make CSV a social issue that policy makers are less likely to ignore. This process will look and feel different across settings, but the underlying goal will remain the same.
The new narratives around CSV will shift and evolve as it is embraced in different contexts and by different messengers. Advocates will need to start where people are, remaining flexible in how they start conversations without compromising on principles. They will also need to find the right messengers, i.e. context-specific, credible messengers who grasp and embrace the vision to enhance the new narratives’ integrity.
Transforming the narratives around CSV will support prevention, healing and justice in multiple ways:
increase awareness of CSV and the evidence-based solutions that could end it;
help shift the stigma and blame from survivors to the systems and institutions that facilitate their abuse;
increase the number of children willing to disclose their abuse;
heighten parents’ and caregivers’ awareness of risk and services to prevent and respond to harm;
open dialogue on CSV in policy arenas; and
challenge the impunity for people and institutions that expose children to risks and abuse.
Prioritizing prevention would put more pressure on every person who engages with children to mitigate risks. Finally, promoting more unified, informed, and consistent narratives of hope and progress around CSV would help the public rally behind our field and demand change.
Where we can make a difference
We must normalize conversations around CSV – a topic currently hidden by a global culture of silence – including bring more attention to incest and abuse in the home. CSV is considered a private and highly stigmatized topic, often avoided even in the confines of families and intimate relationships. Normalizing conversations around CSV would encourage collective responsibility, reduce the stigma and shame that prevents survivors disclosing abuse, and make CSV a social issue that policy makers are less likely to ignore. This process will look and feel different across settings, but the underlying goal will remain the same.
The new narratives around CSV will shift and evolve as it is embraced in different contexts and by different messengers. Advocates will need to start where people are, remaining flexible in how they start conversations without compromising on principles. They will also need to find the right messengers, i.e. context-specific, credible messengers who grasp and embrace the vision to enhance the new narratives’ integrity.
Transforming the narratives around CSV will support prevention, healing and justice in multiple ways:
increase awareness of CSV and the evidence-based solutions that could end it;
help shift the stigma and blame from survivors to the systems and institutions that facilitate their abuse;
increase the number of children willing to disclose their abuse;
heighten parents’ and caregivers’ awareness of risk and services to prevent and respond to harm;
open dialogue on CSV in policy arenas; and
challenge the impunity for people and institutions that expose children to risks and abuse.
Prioritizing prevention would put more pressure on every person who engages with children to mitigate risks. Finally, promoting more unified, informed, and consistent narratives of hope and progress around CSV would help the public rally behind our field and demand change.
Opportunities
There is momentum to transform the narratives around CSV.
Existing programs to normalize conversations around CSV are ready to scale. These programs are creating broad-based conversations around CSV, among parents, neighbors and policy makers, among other groups.
Some governments are also taking positive action to normalize conversations around CSV.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are taking action to strengthen their messaging around CSV, including partnering with messaging-focused and social change groups, and those working on narrative change in adjacent fields.
Media (social, digital and print) can be used to amplify messages, repeat, and adapt stories for new contexts, and reach millions more people.
Survivor advocates are willing to engage in more open dialogue and advocacy. This makes CSV personal and ensures we lead with the lived experience of survivors and their families.
Emerging movements are reinforcing messages of open dialogue and prevention. They are supporting their members to tell new stories with conviction and confidence.
Opportunities
There is momentum to transform the narratives around CSV.
Existing programs to normalize conversations around CSV are ready to scale. These programs are creating broad-based conversations around CSV, among parents, neighbors and policy makers, among other groups.
Some governments are also taking positive action to normalize conversations around CSV.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are taking action to strengthen their messaging around CSV, including partnering with messaging-focused and social change groups, and those working on narrative change in adjacent fields.
Media (social, digital and print) can be used to amplify messages, repeat, and adapt stories for new contexts, and reach millions more people.
Survivor advocates are willing to engage in more open dialogue and advocacy. This makes CSV personal and ensures we lead with the lived experience of survivors and their families.
Emerging movements are reinforcing messages of open dialogue and prevention. They are supporting their members to tell new stories with conviction and confidence.
Opportunities
There is momentum to transform the narratives around CSV.
Existing programs to normalize conversations around CSV are ready to scale. These programs are creating broad-based conversations around CSV, among parents, neighbors and policy makers, among other groups.
Some governments are also taking positive action to normalize conversations around CSV.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are taking action to strengthen their messaging around CSV, including partnering with messaging-focused and social change groups, and those working on narrative change in adjacent fields.
Media (social, digital and print) can be used to amplify messages, repeat, and adapt stories for new contexts, and reach millions more people.
Survivor advocates are willing to engage in more open dialogue and advocacy. This makes CSV personal and ensures we lead with the lived experience of survivors and their families.
Emerging movements are reinforcing messages of open dialogue and prevention. They are supporting their members to tell new stories with conviction and confidence.
Opportunities
There is momentum to transform the narratives around CSV.
Existing programs to normalize conversations around CSV are ready to scale. These programs are creating broad-based conversations around CSV, among parents, neighbors and policy makers, among other groups.
Some governments are also taking positive action to normalize conversations around CSV.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are taking action to strengthen their messaging around CSV, including partnering with messaging-focused and social change groups, and those working on narrative change in adjacent fields.
Media (social, digital and print) can be used to amplify messages, repeat, and adapt stories for new contexts, and reach millions more people.
Survivor advocates are willing to engage in more open dialogue and advocacy. This makes CSV personal and ensures we lead with the lived experience of survivors and their families.
Emerging movements are reinforcing messages of open dialogue and prevention. They are supporting their members to tell new stories with conviction and confidence.
Real world example
Arpan has run the Child Safety Week campaign for the past five years to create awareness about childhood sexual abuse. It enlists influencers or celebrities to talk about the issue and to address the cultural norms at the root of the issue. Constant repetition through the media, advocacy, and mass campaigns is slowly shifting the public mindset about presenting CSV.
Real world example
Arpan has run the Child Safety Week campaign for the past five years to create awareness about childhood sexual abuse. It enlists influencers or celebrities to talk about the issue and to address the cultural norms at the root of the issue. Constant repetition through the media, advocacy, and mass campaigns is slowly shifting the public mindset about presenting CSV.
Real world example
Arpan has run the Child Safety Week campaign for the past five years to create awareness about childhood sexual abuse. It enlists influencers or celebrities to talk about the issue and to address the cultural norms at the root of the issue. Constant repetition through the media, advocacy, and mass campaigns is slowly shifting the public mindset about presenting CSV.
Real world example
Arpan has run the Child Safety Week campaign for the past five years to create awareness about childhood sexual abuse. It enlists influencers or celebrities to talk about the issue and to address the cultural norms at the root of the issue. Constant repetition through the media, advocacy, and mass campaigns is slowly shifting the public mindset about presenting CSV.
The next steps
During the next five years, these shifts have the power to transform the narratives around CSV.
Promote narratives that normalize conversations around CSV, generating hope and promoting evidence-based solutions.
Ensure these narratives link policy with action.
Strengthen the capacity of advocates to share new narratives, with support for global and national coalitions that advocate for cross-sectoral action and policy change.
Design broad-based public campaigns to promote the new narratives, shifting the blame and breaking the silence around CSV.
Support CSOs – individually and as coalitions – to track and counter messages that work against the new narratives of hope and prevention, with tools and mechanisms developed to facilitate this process.
Shift the stigma of CSV from survivors to the individuals, institutions and systems that facilitate their abuse, so survivors of all ages feel believed, respected and celebrated for their courage and resilience rather than stigmatized.
The next steps
During the next five years, these shifts have the power to transform the narratives around CSV.
Promote narratives that normalize conversations around CSV, generating hope and promoting evidence-based solutions.
Ensure these narratives link policy with action.
Strengthen the capacity of advocates to share new narratives, with support for global and national coalitions that advocate for cross-sectoral action and policy change.
Design broad-based public campaigns to promote the new narratives, shifting the blame and breaking the silence around CSV.
Support CSOs – individually and as coalitions – to track and counter messages that work against the new narratives of hope and prevention, with tools and mechanisms developed to facilitate this process.
Shift the stigma of CSV from survivors to the individuals, institutions and systems that facilitate their abuse, so survivors of all ages feel believed, respected and celebrated for their courage and resilience rather than stigmatized.
The next steps
During the next five years, these shifts have the power to transform the narratives around CSV.
Promote narratives that normalize conversations around CSV, generating hope and promoting evidence-based solutions.
Ensure these narratives link policy with action.
Strengthen the capacity of advocates to share new narratives, with support for global and national coalitions that advocate for cross-sectoral action and policy change.
Design broad-based public campaigns to promote the new narratives, shifting the blame and breaking the silence around CSV.
Support CSOs – individually and as coalitions – to track and counter messages that work against the new narratives of hope and prevention, with tools and mechanisms developed to facilitate this process.
Shift the stigma of CSV from survivors to the individuals, institutions and systems that facilitate their abuse, so survivors of all ages feel believed, respected and celebrated for their courage and resilience rather than stigmatized.
The next steps
During the next five years, these shifts have the power to transform the narratives around CSV.
Promote narratives that normalize conversations around CSV, generating hope and promoting evidence-based solutions.
Ensure these narratives link policy with action.
Strengthen the capacity of advocates to share new narratives, with support for global and national coalitions that advocate for cross-sectoral action and policy change.
Design broad-based public campaigns to promote the new narratives, shifting the blame and breaking the silence around CSV.
Support CSOs – individually and as coalitions – to track and counter messages that work against the new narratives of hope and prevention, with tools and mechanisms developed to facilitate this process.
Shift the stigma of CSV from survivors to the individuals, institutions and systems that facilitate their abuse, so survivors of all ages feel believed, respected and celebrated for their courage and resilience rather than stigmatized.
We must normalize conversations around CSV – a topic currently hidden by a global culture of silence
We must normalize conversations around CSV – a topic currently hidden by a global culture of silence
We must normalize conversations around CSV – a topic currently hidden by a global culture of silence
We must normalize conversations around CSV – a topic currently hidden by a global culture of silence
2. Galvanize political activism, centering survivors, parents/caregivers, and young people
The challenge
Over the last few years, it’s become even clearer that CSV is both a political and technical challenge. To support the funding and implementation of evidence-based technical solutions, we need to see strong and sustained political activism. It must be powerful and compelling enough to influence decisions, galvanize public support, and achieve real social change.
The most effective political activism has both specific goals (i.e. what should be achieved) and targets (i.e. where it should be achieved). It seeks to engage centers of power (e.g. governments), asking for specific action within limited periods of time. Activism also involves a combination of targeted advocacy and campaigns, often issue-specific and time-limited, with broader, longer-term movements, allowing multiple advocacy and campaign efforts to achieve ambitious goals.
We have seen that the most powerful global efforts to reduce CSV target political groups or bodies that include large numbers of countries, or those considered to have significant global influence, like the G7, UN High Level Panels or the 1st Ministerial Conference to End Violence Against Children. To drive change, the request and the timing must be clear and considered and the consequences of inaction tangible.
At present, stakeholders working on CSV struggle to make sufficient political impact. Comparisons are sometimes made between our sector, which tends to rely on technical arguments, and groups in other sectors which take bold and high-visibility political actions to trigger change.
The challenge
Over the last few years, it’s become even clearer that CSV is both a political and technical challenge. To support the funding and implementation of evidence-based technical solutions, we need to see strong and sustained political activism. It must be powerful and compelling enough to influence decisions, galvanize public support, and achieve real social change.
The most effective political activism has both specific goals (i.e. what should be achieved) and targets (i.e. where it should be achieved). It seeks to engage centers of power (e.g. governments), asking for specific action within limited periods of time. Activism also involves a combination of targeted advocacy and campaigns, often issue-specific and time-limited, with broader, longer-term movements, allowing multiple advocacy and campaign efforts to achieve ambitious goals.
We have seen that the most powerful global efforts to reduce CSV target political groups or bodies that include large numbers of countries, or those considered to have significant global influence, like the G7, UN High Level Panels or the 1st Ministerial Conference to End Violence Against Children. To drive change, the request and the timing must be clear and considered and the consequences of inaction tangible.
At present, stakeholders working on CSV struggle to make sufficient political impact. Comparisons are sometimes made between our sector, which tends to rely on technical arguments, and groups in other sectors which take bold and high-visibility political actions to trigger change.
The challenge
Over the last few years, it’s become even clearer that CSV is both a political and technical challenge. To support the funding and implementation of evidence-based technical solutions, we need to see strong and sustained political activism. It must be powerful and compelling enough to influence decisions, galvanize public support, and achieve real social change.
The most effective political activism has both specific goals (i.e. what should be achieved) and targets (i.e. where it should be achieved). It seeks to engage centers of power (e.g. governments), asking for specific action within limited periods of time. Activism also involves a combination of targeted advocacy and campaigns, often issue-specific and time-limited, with broader, longer-term movements, allowing multiple advocacy and campaign efforts to achieve ambitious goals.
We have seen that the most powerful global efforts to reduce CSV target political groups or bodies that include large numbers of countries, or those considered to have significant global influence, like the G7, UN High Level Panels or the 1st Ministerial Conference to End Violence Against Children. To drive change, the request and the timing must be clear and considered and the consequences of inaction tangible.
At present, stakeholders working on CSV struggle to make sufficient political impact. Comparisons are sometimes made between our sector, which tends to rely on technical arguments, and groups in other sectors which take bold and high-visibility political actions to trigger change.
The challenge
Over the last few years, it’s become even clearer that CSV is both a political and technical challenge. To support the funding and implementation of evidence-based technical solutions, we need to see strong and sustained political activism. It must be powerful and compelling enough to influence decisions, galvanize public support, and achieve real social change.
The most effective political activism has both specific goals (i.e. what should be achieved) and targets (i.e. where it should be achieved). It seeks to engage centers of power (e.g. governments), asking for specific action within limited periods of time. Activism also involves a combination of targeted advocacy and campaigns, often issue-specific and time-limited, with broader, longer-term movements, allowing multiple advocacy and campaign efforts to achieve ambitious goals.
We have seen that the most powerful global efforts to reduce CSV target political groups or bodies that include large numbers of countries, or those considered to have significant global influence, like the G7, UN High Level Panels or the 1st Ministerial Conference to End Violence Against Children. To drive change, the request and the timing must be clear and considered and the consequences of inaction tangible.
At present, stakeholders working on CSV struggle to make sufficient political impact. Comparisons are sometimes made between our sector, which tends to rely on technical arguments, and groups in other sectors which take bold and high-visibility political actions to trigger change.
Where we can make a difference
Stronger, more targeted activism is gaining traction. New approaches are being embraced by many stakeholders, including survivor-led groups, parents, caregivers, and young people. They are also being promoted by coalitions working to:
shape survivor-centered justice systems;
eliminate statutes of limitation;
hold powerful institutions to account; and
promote safe digital spaces for children and adolescents.
There is a growing realization that oppositional forces, like some players in the technology and pornography industries, have formidable advocacy power. They also tend to have significant resources, skilled lobbyists, and established roads into political networks.
Political activism can accelerate prevention and response efforts by motivating decision makers to support effective interventions. It amplifies the voice and agency of survivor advocates, parents, caregivers and young people, highlighting their strength as activists and innovators. Activism also personalizes the issue, making it difficult for policymakers and the public to ignore.
Where we can make a difference
Stronger, more targeted activism is gaining traction. New approaches are being embraced by many stakeholders, including survivor-led groups, parents, caregivers, and young people. They are also being promoted by coalitions working to:
shape survivor-centered justice systems;
eliminate statutes of limitation;
hold powerful institutions to account; and
promote safe digital spaces for children and adolescents.
There is a growing realization that oppositional forces, like some players in the technology and pornography industries, have formidable advocacy power. They also tend to have significant resources, skilled lobbyists, and established roads into political networks.
Political activism can accelerate prevention and response efforts by motivating decision makers to support effective interventions. It amplifies the voice and agency of survivor advocates, parents, caregivers and young people, highlighting their strength as activists and innovators. Activism also personalizes the issue, making it difficult for policymakers and the public to ignore.
Where we can make a difference
Stronger, more targeted activism is gaining traction. New approaches are being embraced by many stakeholders, including survivor-led groups, parents, caregivers, and young people. They are also being promoted by coalitions working to:
shape survivor-centered justice systems;
eliminate statutes of limitation;
hold powerful institutions to account; and
promote safe digital spaces for children and adolescents.
There is a growing realization that oppositional forces, like some players in the technology and pornography industries, have formidable advocacy power. They also tend to have significant resources, skilled lobbyists, and established roads into political networks.
Political activism can accelerate prevention and response efforts by motivating decision makers to support effective interventions. It amplifies the voice and agency of survivor advocates, parents, caregivers and young people, highlighting their strength as activists and innovators. Activism also personalizes the issue, making it difficult for policymakers and the public to ignore.
Where we can make a difference
Stronger, more targeted activism is gaining traction. New approaches are being embraced by many stakeholders, including survivor-led groups, parents, caregivers, and young people. They are also being promoted by coalitions working to:
shape survivor-centered justice systems;
eliminate statutes of limitation;
hold powerful institutions to account; and
promote safe digital spaces for children and adolescents.
There is a growing realization that oppositional forces, like some players in the technology and pornography industries, have formidable advocacy power. They also tend to have significant resources, skilled lobbyists, and established roads into political networks.
Political activism can accelerate prevention and response efforts by motivating decision makers to support effective interventions. It amplifies the voice and agency of survivor advocates, parents, caregivers and young people, highlighting their strength as activists and innovators. Activism also personalizes the issue, making it difficult for policymakers and the public to ignore.
Opportunities
There are many signs that political activism related to CSV is growing stronger.
Funders are beginning to recognize that progress on technical solutions requires political action.
High profile wins offer valuable lessons and motivation for key groups to continue and fuels campaigns.
More survivor advocates and leaders are emerging, particularly in LMICs. They are growing local and national organizations to influence governments and build nationwide coalitions.
Parents’ and caregivers’ organizations are adopting more strategic advocacy goals and positioning themselves as drivers of change.
Young people are pushing back against institutions and industries that devalue children and adolescents and fail to protect them.
Robust research, which will be published in mid-2025, will provide evidence-based strategies to help make CSV a national political priority.
Opportunities
There are many signs that political activism related to CSV is growing stronger.
Funders are beginning to recognize that progress on technical solutions requires political action.
High profile wins offer valuable lessons and motivation for key groups to continue and fuels campaigns.
More survivor advocates and leaders are emerging, particularly in LMICs. They are growing local and national organizations to influence governments and build nationwide coalitions.
Parents’ and caregivers’ organizations are adopting more strategic advocacy goals and positioning themselves as drivers of change.
Young people are pushing back against institutions and industries that devalue children and adolescents and fail to protect them.
Robust research, which will be published in mid-2025, will provide evidence-based strategies to help make CSV a national political priority.
Opportunities
There are many signs that political activism related to CSV is growing stronger.
Funders are beginning to recognize that progress on technical solutions requires political action.
High profile wins offer valuable lessons and motivation for key groups to continue and fuels campaigns.
More survivor advocates and leaders are emerging, particularly in LMICs. They are growing local and national organizations to influence governments and build nationwide coalitions.
Parents’ and caregivers’ organizations are adopting more strategic advocacy goals and positioning themselves as drivers of change.
Young people are pushing back against institutions and industries that devalue children and adolescents and fail to protect them.
Robust research, which will be published in mid-2025, will provide evidence-based strategies to help make CSV a national political priority.
Opportunities
There are many signs that political activism related to CSV is growing stronger.
Funders are beginning to recognize that progress on technical solutions requires political action.
High profile wins offer valuable lessons and motivation for key groups to continue and fuels campaigns.
More survivor advocates and leaders are emerging, particularly in LMICs. They are growing local and national organizations to influence governments and build nationwide coalitions.
Parents’ and caregivers’ organizations are adopting more strategic advocacy goals and positioning themselves as drivers of change.
Young people are pushing back against institutions and industries that devalue children and adolescents and fail to protect them.
Robust research, which will be published in mid-2025, will provide evidence-based strategies to help make CSV a national political priority.
Real world examples
NOSSAS, an activist organization that works to strengthen democracy in Brazil, prevented the speaker of the lower house of the Brazilian legislature from rushing through an anti-abortion bill, or even bringing it to a vote. They organized 340,000 people, who contacted decision-makers through their platform, had stories published in the press, organized street protests in almost every state, and maintained an active dialogue on social media.
“Parents are the ones who have the highest stakes in this, and we're not talking to them enough, and we're not empowering them enough to be the leaders and the changemakers in this work. If we have them be the ones who put the pressure on policymakers, governments and schools, they are a force to be reckoned with.” - Rosalia Rivera, CONSENTparenting
Real world examples
NOSSAS, an activist organization that works to strengthen democracy in Brazil, prevented the speaker of the lower house of the Brazilian legislature from rushing through an anti-abortion bill, or even bringing it to a vote. They organized 340,000 people, who contacted decision-makers through their platform, had stories published in the press, organized street protests in almost every state, and maintained an active dialogue on social media.
“Parents are the ones who have the highest stakes in this, and we're not talking to them enough, and we're not empowering them enough to be the leaders and the changemakers in this work. If we have them be the ones who put the pressure on policymakers, governments and schools, they are a force to be reckoned with.” - Rosalia Rivera, CONSENTparenting
Real world examples
NOSSAS, an activist organization that works to strengthen democracy in Brazil, prevented the speaker of the lower house of the Brazilian legislature from rushing through an anti-abortion bill, or even bringing it to a vote. They organized 340,000 people, who contacted decision-makers through their platform, had stories published in the press, organized street protests in almost every state, and maintained an active dialogue on social media.
“Parents are the ones who have the highest stakes in this, and we're not talking to them enough, and we're not empowering them enough to be the leaders and the changemakers in this work. If we have them be the ones who put the pressure on policymakers, governments and schools, they are a force to be reckoned with.” - Rosalia Rivera, CONSENTparenting
Real world examples
NOSSAS, an activist organization that works to strengthen democracy in Brazil, prevented the speaker of the lower house of the Brazilian legislature from rushing through an anti-abortion bill, or even bringing it to a vote. They organized 340,000 people, who contacted decision-makers through their platform, had stories published in the press, organized street protests in almost every state, and maintained an active dialogue on social media.
“Parents are the ones who have the highest stakes in this, and we're not talking to them enough, and we're not empowering them enough to be the leaders and the changemakers in this work. If we have them be the ones who put the pressure on policymakers, governments and schools, they are a force to be reckoned with.” - Rosalia Rivera, CONSENTparenting
The next steps
Over the next five years, these shifts will help us evolve our sector’s approach to political activism.
Make political activism – with clear goals and targets for government engagement - an integral part of CSV prevention efforts and better supported by stronger field infrastructure.
Grow existing movements as an accepted way of driving change.
Encourage more donors to take risks, supporting resilience and leadership by funding political activism. This should include support to survivor-led or focused groups, promising individual leaders, small groups at national and local levels, bold, ambitious campaigns, and accountability mechanisms like watchdog groups.
See savvy, well-connected, confident political activists working closely with advocates, researchers and practitioners, presenting technical and policy solutions to drive change.
Encourage broad, cross-sector coalitions to work in tandem to achieve common goals related to CSV.
Connect with adjacent social justice movements to help grow CSV prevention efforts exponentially, leveraging their hard-earned experience and gains.
The next steps
Over the next five years, these shifts will help us evolve our sector’s approach to political activism.
Make political activism – with clear goals and targets for government engagement - an integral part of CSV prevention efforts and better supported by stronger field infrastructure.
Grow existing movements as an accepted way of driving change.
Encourage more donors to take risks, supporting resilience and leadership by funding political activism. This should include support to survivor-led or focused groups, promising individual leaders, small groups at national and local levels, bold, ambitious campaigns, and accountability mechanisms like watchdog groups.
See savvy, well-connected, confident political activists working closely with advocates, researchers and practitioners, presenting technical and policy solutions to drive change.
Encourage broad, cross-sector coalitions to work in tandem to achieve common goals related to CSV.
Connect with adjacent social justice movements to help grow CSV prevention efforts exponentially, leveraging their hard-earned experience and gains.
The next steps
Over the next five years, these shifts will help us evolve our sector’s approach to political activism.
Make political activism – with clear goals and targets for government engagement - an integral part of CSV prevention efforts and better supported by stronger field infrastructure.
Grow existing movements as an accepted way of driving change.
Encourage more donors to take risks, supporting resilience and leadership by funding political activism. This should include support to survivor-led or focused groups, promising individual leaders, small groups at national and local levels, bold, ambitious campaigns, and accountability mechanisms like watchdog groups.
See savvy, well-connected, confident political activists working closely with advocates, researchers and practitioners, presenting technical and policy solutions to drive change.
Encourage broad, cross-sector coalitions to work in tandem to achieve common goals related to CSV.
Connect with adjacent social justice movements to help grow CSV prevention efforts exponentially, leveraging their hard-earned experience and gains.
The next steps
Over the next five years, these shifts will help us evolve our sector’s approach to political activism.
Make political activism – with clear goals and targets for government engagement - an integral part of CSV prevention efforts and better supported by stronger field infrastructure.
Grow existing movements as an accepted way of driving change.
Encourage more donors to take risks, supporting resilience and leadership by funding political activism. This should include support to survivor-led or focused groups, promising individual leaders, small groups at national and local levels, bold, ambitious campaigns, and accountability mechanisms like watchdog groups.
See savvy, well-connected, confident political activists working closely with advocates, researchers and practitioners, presenting technical and policy solutions to drive change.
Encourage broad, cross-sector coalitions to work in tandem to achieve common goals related to CSV.
Connect with adjacent social justice movements to help grow CSV prevention efforts exponentially, leveraging their hard-earned experience and gains.
To drive change, the request and the timing must be clear and considered and the consequences of inaction tangible.
To drive change, the request and the timing must be clear and considered and the consequences of inaction tangible.
To drive change, the request and the timing must be clear and considered and the consequences of inaction tangible.
To drive change, the request and the timing must be clear and considered and the consequences of inaction tangible.
3. Pressure and incentivize institutions to protect children, mitigate harm, and promote prevention, healing and justice
The challenge
Children spend considerable amounts of time in public and private institutional spaces. Most have their lives shaped in some way by schools, day care facilities, faith-based groups, sports teams and associations or youth-serving organizations, like scouts and YMCA. That’s why it’s essential to have safeguarding policies, reinforced by appropriate attitudes and behaviors, to ensure child safety and wellbeing.
Institutions can increase risks of abuse, particularly for children who live outside family care or are in the custody of the state. Children can also be at risk when rewards (such as better grades or a place on a competitive sports team) are offered in exchange for abuse. There’s an inherent imbalance of power in institutions, which allows for patterns of excessive control or abusive behavior to run unchecked.
Broadly, people recognize how important it is to make institutions safe spaces for children. But progress is slow and erratic. Continuing reports of sexual violence against children in institutional settings suggests a problem that extends beyond individual bad actors. They indicate there are far too many systems that devalue (and discredit) children, tolerate and cover up unacceptable criminal behavior, and place profit and reputation over safety.
The challenge
Children spend considerable amounts of time in public and private institutional spaces. Most have their lives shaped in some way by schools, day care facilities, faith-based groups, sports teams and associations or youth-serving organizations, like scouts and YMCA. That’s why it’s essential to have safeguarding policies, reinforced by appropriate attitudes and behaviors, to ensure child safety and wellbeing.
Institutions can increase risks of abuse, particularly for children who live outside family care or are in the custody of the state. Children can also be at risk when rewards (such as better grades or a place on a competitive sports team) are offered in exchange for abuse. There’s an inherent imbalance of power in institutions, which allows for patterns of excessive control or abusive behavior to run unchecked.
Broadly, people recognize how important it is to make institutions safe spaces for children. But progress is slow and erratic. Continuing reports of sexual violence against children in institutional settings suggests a problem that extends beyond individual bad actors. They indicate there are far too many systems that devalue (and discredit) children, tolerate and cover up unacceptable criminal behavior, and place profit and reputation over safety.
The challenge
Children spend considerable amounts of time in public and private institutional spaces. Most have their lives shaped in some way by schools, day care facilities, faith-based groups, sports teams and associations or youth-serving organizations, like scouts and YMCA. That’s why it’s essential to have safeguarding policies, reinforced by appropriate attitudes and behaviors, to ensure child safety and wellbeing.
Institutions can increase risks of abuse, particularly for children who live outside family care or are in the custody of the state. Children can also be at risk when rewards (such as better grades or a place on a competitive sports team) are offered in exchange for abuse. There’s an inherent imbalance of power in institutions, which allows for patterns of excessive control or abusive behavior to run unchecked.
Broadly, people recognize how important it is to make institutions safe spaces for children. But progress is slow and erratic. Continuing reports of sexual violence against children in institutional settings suggests a problem that extends beyond individual bad actors. They indicate there are far too many systems that devalue (and discredit) children, tolerate and cover up unacceptable criminal behavior, and place profit and reputation over safety.
The challenge
Children spend considerable amounts of time in public and private institutional spaces. Most have their lives shaped in some way by schools, day care facilities, faith-based groups, sp