Our grantees

University of Kent

Understanding and improving help seeking by people at risk of online child sexual exploitation and abuse

Countries involved:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology at the University of Kent is a group of leading psychologists working on offending behaviour, including sexual exploitation and abuse. In partnership with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and researchers based in South Africa, Mexico, the US and UK, this project will shed light on the psychological processes through which people at risk of online sexual exploitation and abuse may instead seek professional support. In addition, the group will explore the efficacy and impact of prevention interventions targeting people engaging with online abuse. Overall, the project will ask a fundamental – and often overlooked – question: who seeks help for child sexual exploitation and abuse, and can we get more people to do so before committing a crime?

This project will expand the group’s existing model of psychological predicators of help-seeking for people at risk of offending, and examine how to amplify the psychological factors that support such help-seeking behaviours. At the same time, the project will also look into the psychological barriers that prevent help-seeking, and explore ways to weaken those barriers in the digital sphere.

Learn more about Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund and the Advisory Group of experts who have collaborated to guide this work.

Grant timeline:
October 2023 – October 2024

Grantee website:
www.iwf.org.uk

Funding amount:
$92,839

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UNICEF Namibia

Our grantees UNICEF Namibia Tackling Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Namibia Countries involved:Namibia In Namibia, the Fund helped UNICEF Namibia establish an online reporting portal,

UNICEF Mongolia

Our grantees UNICEF Mongolia Adopting the Model National Response to Prevent and Tackle Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Mongolia Countries involved:Mongolia In Mongolia, the

UNICEF Madagascar

Our grantees UNICEF Madagascar Strengthening the National Protection System to Prevent and Respond to Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Madagascar Countries involved:Madagascar From

Zana Africa

Our grantees Zana Africa Understanding Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children With Intellectual Disabilities in Kenya Countries involved:Kenya Children and young people in general

ChildFund International

Our grantees ChildFund International Countries involved:October 2017 – October 2019 ChildFund Kenya’s Safe CLICS project will address key gaps by increasing OCSEA awareness, building children’s and

UNICEF Kenya

Our grantees UNICEF Kenya Developing and Implementing a National Plan of Action to Prevent and Respond to Online Child Exploitation and Abuse Countries involved:October 2017

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Our purpose in detail

We are here to ensure every child and young person grows in to the digital world feeling safe, and is protected from harm.

We support, champion, and invest in innovative partners from the public, private, and third sectors working towards the same objective.

We believe in equipping guardians and young people with the skills to understand and see danger themselves once accessing digital experiences without supervision.

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