12th Annual ISPCAN Global Institute: Preventing Child Exploitation and Abuse - Working with Children and Families Affected and Displaced by Disasters

INTRODUCTION

Children are highly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation during the aftermath of disasters. Internationally, over the past decade earthquakes, floods, landslides, tornadoes, hurricanes, wars and tsunami’s have seriously compromised the safety and protection of children and the ability of both family and children’s services to provide care and protection from abuse and exploitation. This is an emerging global concern— Scientists and social evaluators overwhelmingly agree that natural disasters are and will continue to increase both in number and in degree of intensity across the globe. Studies also show the correlation between natural calamities and conflict zones, as well as other manmade adversity.

ISPCAN’s Global Institute will bring together international and national experts in child abuse and exploitation to discuss a variety of circumstances throughout the world, their dramatic impact on children and families and some of the practical lessons learned from these events. The day-long event will help to raise sensitivity to this impact, the need for preparedness, challenges and practical applications.

PRESENTATIONS

United States Gulf Coast Disasters: Protecting Children and Families from Acute and Long-Term Traumatic Events
Doug Walker, Clinical Director of Mercy Family Center
New Orleans, Louisiana USA

The Role of Child Helplines in Prevention of Child Abuse and Protection of Victims in (post) Conflict Zones
Leen Decadt
Head of Programmes, Child Helpline International
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Child Protection Experiences, Lessons Learned and Responses to (post) Conflict Situations —War Child Holland
Esther Obdam, War Child Holland
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Psychosocial Support for the Child Victims of the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
Dr Yasuhide Nakamura, M.D., Ph.D.
International Collaboration Division, Faculty of Human Sciences,
Osaka, Japan

PROGRAMME

The morning session (8:30 – 12:00) will consist of expert presentations. The afternoon (1:00 – 4:30)will be formatted as a facilitated workshop, providing participants an opportunity to extract from the papers and their own experiences, if relevant, the common principles of care and protection, appropriate responses and guidelines on the management of child protection issues during natural and man-made disasters.

The day will be chaired and facilitated by Des Runyan a councillor of ISPCAN and Executive Director of the Kempe Foundation for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse. ISPCAN staff will be present to capture the discussion points.

REGISTRATION

To register, click here.