Project overview
The Protect and Prevent Through Support – 2PS project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme. 2PS is a three-year prevention initiative which will work on a variety of pressing topics and actions to help address the growing issues of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE), particularly in the online environment (OCSAE).
Together with leading global actors, we are committed to laying the foundations for new coherent modus operandi
that complement the reactive approaches currently favoured, moving preventive actions to the forefront.
2PS ultimate goal is to protect children, and this can be achieved by addressing the support needs of people with a sexual interest in children and individuals who are concerned about their thoughts involving children, offering them alternative pathways.
2PS objectives
Develop culture-sensitive policy recommendations on child sexual abuse prevention methods applicable throughout the European Union.
Enhance prevention actions by developing training materials for LEAs and frontline staff, networking among stakeholders and conducting awareness campaigns.
Share policy recommendations on how to enable prevention methods across the European Union that address the challenges of sociocultural divisions and approaches.
Actions
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Understanding the prevention landscape
2PS will contribute to understanding the prevention landscape and plan activities for knowledge exchange with valuable experts in the field. We will adopt a comprehensive and sociocultural-sensitive approach to prevention.
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Establishing a central repository of support services
2PS will establish a central directory of services and support actions that can help anyone who recognises that they are experiencing troubling sexual thoughts and/or behaviours involving children.
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Creating a peer education platform and online hub
To provide effective support, 2PS will create a peer education platform and a globally scalable online hub, designed respectively for people who fear they might offend against and are concerned about their sexual thoughts or behaviours.
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Developing trainings
2PS will develop training materials for target stakeholders (frontline-support, specialists and LEAs) to share new knowledge on people with sexual interest in children.
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Communication campaigns
2PS aims to create communication campaigns that stimulate discussion and a shift in perception on the role of prevention for tackling CSAE.
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Direct validation of potential solutions with a Stakeholders’ Consultation Group
2PS’s potential solutions will be tested and validated directly with a cluster of people that represent the target groups.
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Review of the regulatory landscape in EU
2PS will lead a comprehensive review of the regulatory landscape and procedural regulations across Europe that concern people with sexual interest in children.
Results
Increased knowledge
Increased knowledge of the target groups specific support needs and new tools in the online intervention landscape.
Literature review and meta-analysis publication
A literature review on the mental health needs and barriers to treatment of people with a sexual interest in children and meta-analysis on the differences between offending and non-offending people with a sexual interest in children which will inform therapeutic work, research and policy making.
Support the prevention of child sexual abuse before it occurs
Via the online hub, 2PS will provide a significant contribution to the growing movement towards preventing child sexual abuse before it occurs.
Greater consistency and efficacy
Evaluations and reviews of existing good practices and through the development of new training, 2PS will deliver greater consistency and efficacy among professionals in the EU member states in working with people who fear they might offend against children.
Raised public awareness and reduction of social stigma
Impactful communication through initiatives and campaigns to raise awareness and reduce social stigma of the target groups encouraging people to seek and receive help to prevent CSAE.