Child sexual violence is a global issue that affects thousands of children and has serious consequences for their physical and emotional well-being. It is estimated that between 10% and 25% of the population has experienced sexual abuse during childhood, and nearly half of these cases are recurrent. Often, this violence occurs in trusted environments, making detection difficult. Furthermore, only about 15% of known cases are reported.

Addressing child sexual violence presents various structural and social challenges that complicate its prevention, detection, and the support provided afterward. A lack of knowledge and training hinders the identification of situations involving child sexual violence. Additionally, excessive bureaucracy and the criminal nature of these cases make it even harder to support victims through what is already a lengthy and complex process. On the other hand, social intervention efforts often focus on assisting victims, leaving the prevention of abuse and work with perpetrators in the background.

During this Innobreak, we will introduce two innovative initiatives aimed at preventing and addressing child sexual violence, as well as raising awareness about this issue in our society:

• PrevenSi (Catalonia) is a specialized resource for the prevention of child sexual abuse (CSA), created through the collaboration between the Institute of Forensic Psychology, the Intress Institute, and the IReS Foundation. This initiative tackles the realities of pedophilia and child sexual abuse through a specialized web platform that provides support and referral services for pedophiles. It also offers guidance and preventive resources for professionals and individuals who know of or suspect cases of CSA.

• Barnahus (Europe) is a comprehensive care model, impulsed by Save the Children, where all departments involved in a case of child sexual abuse work together under one roof to support child victims. By consolidating all services in a single location, the process is streamlined, and secondary victimization—which children often experience in these cases—is significantly reduced. Over the past few decades, the Barnahus model has become a benchmark for integrated and coordinated care across Europe.

Speakers:

• Núria Iturbe i Meritxell Campmajó, PrevenSI (Catalonia)
• Emilie Rivas, Barnahus (Europe)