These guidelines were developed by UKHD in Germany as a practical framework to strengthen collaboration both in and with Barnahus by supporting harmonisation of procedures, clear responsibilities, and a more coordinated response to child victims, particularly in cases involving online sexual abuse.
A strong emphasis is placed on victim-sensitive approaches, recognising the unique challenges of online abuse investigations, which often are initiated before any disclosure from the victim and can lead to complex psychological responses. Drawing on the results of a nationwide survey and a model collaboration between Childhood-Haus and Weisser Ring e.V., the guidelines are accompanied by an online training course – developed and piloted during the PROMISE Elpis project – to support practical implementation and build professional capacity.
The following points should be considered when counseling victims of online violence against children / cyberviolence:
- In these cases, the time of disclosure is often not chosen independently by the victim, but by others. This is in part due to the obligation to report images of abuse, which applies in the USA and has international consequences.
- The confrontation of the victim with the crime and the disclosure of information on the crime (e.g. to a law enforcement agency) is also often not self-determined with the victim having no or only slight control in most cases.
- The support and counseling of the injured person and their relatives requires a small-step and sensitive approach due to the above-mentioned specifics of information transfer and confrontation. It takes time for the victims to realise the events surrounding the crime. Due to the externally determined, inevitable confrontation with the events, it therefore requires situation-adapted counselling and future planning.
- In the lives of today’s “digital natives”, sexual violence does not only occur in the analog or digital world, but rather in a mixed analog-digital world. Combining this analog and digital reality is often particularly difficult for those who have not grown up with the digital world. This can be a challenge for professionals, both technically and socially, as it becomes more difficult to understand the complex interactions and to respond appropriately.
Publications
“PROMISE Elpis” was funded by the European Union through its Internal Security Fund (ISF) program, with partner co-funding. Charité (Coordinator), AvBIT, The Barnahus Network via the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Children at Risk, Child Circle, Children 1st, HEUNI (The European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations),National Children’s Advocacy Center USA, UKHD (Childhood Haus Heidelberg), Germany). The contents of this page and its linked resources are the sole responsibility of the publisher and can no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.