Vision - A world where all children are free from violence, sexual abuse and exploitation.
Mission- To inspire, promote and develop solutions to end child sexual abuse, exploitation and violence.
At Childhood, we are convinced that many cases of sexual abuse of children can be prevented. But what do we actually mean when we say this? Naturally, there is no 100-percent protection or simple solution for preventing the sexual abuse of children, but there is a lot we can do to reduce the risks and mitigate the consequences of abuse, such as:
Children who lack adult supervision, or whose caregivers are incapable of providing the comfort, security and recognition that a child needs, are at an increased risk being subjected to violence and abuse. There is also a greater risk that they might expose others to abuse or end up in violent relationships. You can be this dependable adult for your children and those of others.
If you learn at an early stage that you are worth listening to and that your boundaries are respected, there is a greater likelihood that you will be able to and have the courage to speak out and protect yourself if someone violates your physical integrity. This also increases the likelihood that a child will have the confidence to tell someone if something has happened or if someone tries to get them to do something that is against their will.
If children are to understand and put into words what happens to them, they need to be able to talk about the body at an early age, about which parts are private, where the boundary is for what others can do to them and what they themselves cannot do to others.
Preschools, schools, after-school care facilities, churches, etc., can be incredibly important to children as places where they can develop trusting relationships with adults other than their parents and in whom they can confide if something is not right. Online platforms that offer children the possibility to talk directly and anonymously if they feel unsafe or have ended up in a situation they are ashamed of or cannot get out of by themselves, also make a key contribution in helping children to break their silence as early as possible.
Witnessing or being subjected to violence as a child, or growing up in an environment where the adults are incapable of putting the children’s needs ahead of their own increases the risk of violence and abuse. It also gives rise to the risk that the child will contribute to a continued spiral of violence in later years.
If we hold fast to the image of the dirty old man that subjects small children to abuse using violence, we risk missing the situations that do not fit into our idea of “real abuse” (which are the majority). And if we have a too stereotypical image of who the victims might be and how they are expected to react, we risk completely missing or misinterpreting signals from children who have been abused.
The risk of being sexually abused is greater for children who have already been abused once. By providing early and qualified support to the child and its relatives, this risk can be reduced. The way in which those in the child’s immediate vicinity react and act following the abuse is very important for how the child feels and develops afterwards.
If a child hears that rape is worse than death and that lives are destroyed forever, it can be difficult for the child to admit to themselves what has happened and even more difficult to tell others about it.