Periodic Reporting for period 1 - 2PS (2PS - Prevent & Protect Through Support)
Période du rapport: 2022-10-01 au 2024-03-31
Despite ongoing efforts, child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) is a considerable concern in Europe and worldwide. No child deserves abuse, but, unfortunately, many are exposed to horrific experiences and trauma that can last a lifetime. Preventing abuse before it occurs is the ultimate goal, and prevention is part of a holistic strategy to counter all forms of CSAE. Prevent and Protect Through Support (2PS) is an EU-funded 3-year project committed to raising awareness about the importance of preventative actions and increasing access to support services and therapy to help deter people who fear they might offend against children. Beyond this, 2PS provides training materials and knowledge exchange to sustain good practices and increase the capabilities of law enforcement and frontline staff.The European Commission's latest strategy reveals that we are struggling against online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSEA). Despite numerous EU-funded projects working to identify sources of CSAM and support law enforcement, the IOCTA 2021 report shows no decrease in materials. The adage that prevention is better than the cure never seemed more fitting. The 2PS project condemns all forms of child abuse and aims to reduce the number of abused children by addressing the needs of those with a sexual interest in children to prevent them from offending. 2PS offers an innovative approach to CSAE, focusing on prevention and support for those with a sexual interest in children. By sharing best practices for therapy and training frontline workers and law enforcement, 2PS aims to shift preventive actions to the forefront, offering alternatives to potential offenders and those with a sexual interest in children.
The project 2PS aims to achieve effective prevention of child sexual abuse (CSA) through multiple actions and collaborations. Key activities that are currently taking place in the project include:
•Understanding the prevention landscape and planning activities for knowledge exchange with valuable experts in the field.
•Establishing a central repository of support services that can help anyone who recognises that they are experiencing troubling sexual thoughts and/or behaviours involving children.
•Creating a peer education videos and online platform designed respectively for people who fear they might offend against children and/or are concerned about their sexual thoughts or behaviors.
•Developing training materials for target stakeholders (frontline-support, specialists and LEAs) to share new knowledge on people with sexual interest in children.
•Communication campaigns that stimulate discussion and a shift in perception on the role of prevention for tackling CSAE.
•Direct validation of potential solutions with a Stakeholders’ Consultation Group - 2PS will contribute to understanding the prevention landscape and plan activities for knowledge exchange with valuable experts in the field.
•Review of the regulatory landscape and procedural regulations across Europe that concern people with sexual interest in children.
The main achievements of the project will includ increased knowledge,a literature review, support the prevention of child sexual abuse before it occurs, greater consistency and efficacy, raised public awareness and reduction of social stigma. Overall, 2PS aims to create a comprehensive prevention strategy, integrating expert knowledge, technological contributions, and scalable approaches to reduce CSA rates effectively.
•Understanding the prevention landscape and planning activities for knowledge exchange with valuable experts in the field.
•Establishing a central repository of support services that can help anyone who recognises that they are experiencing troubling sexual thoughts and/or behaviours involving children.
•Creating a peer education videos and online platform designed respectively for people who fear they might offend against children and/or are concerned about their sexual thoughts or behaviors.
•Developing training materials for target stakeholders (frontline-support, specialists and LEAs) to share new knowledge on people with sexual interest in children.
•Communication campaigns that stimulate discussion and a shift in perception on the role of prevention for tackling CSAE.
•Direct validation of potential solutions with a Stakeholders’ Consultation Group - 2PS will contribute to understanding the prevention landscape and plan activities for knowledge exchange with valuable experts in the field.
•Review of the regulatory landscape and procedural regulations across Europe that concern people with sexual interest in children.
The main achievements of the project will includ increased knowledge,a literature review, support the prevention of child sexual abuse before it occurs, greater consistency and efficacy, raised public awareness and reduction of social stigma. Overall, 2PS aims to create a comprehensive prevention strategy, integrating expert knowledge, technological contributions, and scalable approaches to reduce CSA rates effectively.
2PS, which stands for Prevent & Protect Through Support, is both ambitious and realistic in its stance on countering Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) through prevention. The project goes beyond state-of-the-art in several areas, including:
-Greater Awareness: Collaborating with the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and mapping perpetration prevention programs is enhancing understanding of prevention strategies globally. Building on Helplinks.eu 2PS is currently developing public campaigns: one for those fearing they might offend, one targeting current offenders via the Darknet, and a public awareness campaign emphasizing prevention’s effectiveness.
-Focused Improvements: By gathering insights from people with sexual interest in children and Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) users, 2PS aims to differentiate between offending and non-offending individuals, surpassing current authority assumptions.
-Targeted Services: Enhancing Troubled Desires and creating a new technological catalogue, 2PS will offer tailored support for people with sexual interest in children and Individuals at Risk (IAR). A peer-education videos are also being developed, leveraging positive experiences of people with sexual interest in children to encourage others to seek help.
-Legal Progress: By analyzing legal obstacles to effective prevention, 2PS will provide evidence-based recommendations for policy changes across Europe.
-Novel Training: Utilizing existing materials and developing new training for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), 2PS will increase awareness of potential offenders and offer practical tools and techniques for effective interaction with people with sexual interest in children.
2PS addresses key areas such as regulations, voluntary cooperation, LEA capacity-building, and societal initiatives. Aligned with the EU’s strategy for combating child sexual abuse, 2PS aims to lay the groundwork for a European prevention center. By bringing together key actors across Europe and globally, 2PS seeks to harmonize efforts and foster collaboration, having already secured support from critical players and intending to connect with other EU actions upon successful evaluation.
-Greater Awareness: Collaborating with the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and mapping perpetration prevention programs is enhancing understanding of prevention strategies globally. Building on Helplinks.eu 2PS is currently developing public campaigns: one for those fearing they might offend, one targeting current offenders via the Darknet, and a public awareness campaign emphasizing prevention’s effectiveness.
-Focused Improvements: By gathering insights from people with sexual interest in children and Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) users, 2PS aims to differentiate between offending and non-offending individuals, surpassing current authority assumptions.
-Targeted Services: Enhancing Troubled Desires and creating a new technological catalogue, 2PS will offer tailored support for people with sexual interest in children and Individuals at Risk (IAR). A peer-education videos are also being developed, leveraging positive experiences of people with sexual interest in children to encourage others to seek help.
-Legal Progress: By analyzing legal obstacles to effective prevention, 2PS will provide evidence-based recommendations for policy changes across Europe.
-Novel Training: Utilizing existing materials and developing new training for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), 2PS will increase awareness of potential offenders and offer practical tools and techniques for effective interaction with people with sexual interest in children.
2PS addresses key areas such as regulations, voluntary cooperation, LEA capacity-building, and societal initiatives. Aligned with the EU’s strategy for combating child sexual abuse, 2PS aims to lay the groundwork for a European prevention center. By bringing together key actors across Europe and globally, 2PS seeks to harmonize efforts and foster collaboration, having already secured support from critical players and intending to connect with other EU actions upon successful evaluation.