Chronimy dzieci przed wykorzystywaniem seksualnym – innowacyjne narzędzia zwiększające wiedzę i kompetencje rodziców i profesjonalistów w obszarze ochrony dzieci przed wykorzystywaniem seksualnym Erasmus Project

Project Title

Chronimy dzieci przed wykorzystywaniem seksualnym – innowacyjne narzędzia zwiększające wiedzę i kompetencje rodziców i profesjonalistów w obszarze ochrony dzieci przed wykorzystywaniem seksualnym

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Inclusion – equity; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The project entitled „We protect children against sexual abuse” was designed to develop high-quality educational resources for parents, educators, as well as professionals working with children and their families. Such resources are scarce, both in terms of formal and informal education regarding protecting children against sexual abuse. Despite some alarming statistics made public by the Council of Europe and indicating that 1 in 5 children in Europe become victims of sexual abuse, and regardless of obligations under the Lanzarote Convention, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia lack systemic solutions and strategies to counteract the problem on the level of formal and informal education. At the earliest stages of life, it is parents who act as primary educators. Research suggests however, that in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe parents fail to discuss sexual abuse with their children, owing to insufficient awareness and knowledge of the topic. Another source of the difficulties is the fact that professionals are highly ineffective in identifying at-risk children and victims of sexual abuse, as their formal education does not provide them with necessary qualifications for that task. Standard academic curriculum of a psychologist, educator, teacher or social worker does not include any courses that focus on supporting parents in the area of the protection of children against sexual abuse, and/or encouraging parents to start psychological and legal intervention in cases of sexual abuse. A consortium brought together organizations protecting children against sexual abuse in three countries, relied on collective expertise and over a dozen years of cooperation, faced the above-described challenges specific to this region and developed two training courses using the e-learning method. One of them is addressed to parents of young and older children, and focuses on protecting children against sexual abuse in the real and the virtual world. The other one aims at a broad spectrum of professionals (all kinds of educators, teachers and psychologist), providing them with knowledge and skill in the area of diagnosing symptoms of sexual abuse, as well as supporting parents in intervention in cases of sexual abuse. Owing to the international character of the group of experts and considering the synergy effect, the new tools satisfies the needs of not only specific countries, but the entire region. The e-learning method guarantees broad range of effect, in particular reaching geographically underprivileged individuals, i.e. parents and professionals from little towns and villages. The added value of the project is that it demonstrates and teaches how to use ICT in education. An estimated, over 800 people participated directly in consultations, pilot activities and promotion; since the launch of the project webpage, it was visited by 7000 people (within the first 12 months after launching the e-learning courses, they were expected to be used by approx. 5000 individuals). Project outcomes were disseminated during local conferences held in each of the partnership countries. Parents from Poland, Lithuania and Latvia (and those who live abroad) who decided to make use of the educational resources developed under the project, expanded their knowledge and skills in the area of protecting children against sexual abuse. Professionals learnt to identify symptoms of sexual abuse and found out how to support parents in education and in intervention.The project contributed to fulfilling the obligations undertaken under Lanzarote Convention and will implement children’s rights to safety and protection against sexual abuse, as specified in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and in the Directive 2011/92/UE of 13.12.2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 99984,58 Eur

Project Coordinator

FUNDACJA DAJEMY DZIECIOM SILE & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Viesoji istaiga PARAMOS VAIKAMS CENTRAS
• NODIBINAJUMS CENTRS DARDEDZE