Preventing child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) is a key EU priority. Knowledge on prevention pathways and face-to-face (F2F) treatment services for at-risk individuals is limited. This study maps the availability and distribution of institutional, self-referral F2F services in six EU countries participating in Project Bridge, an EU-funded initiative connecting individuals with sexual interest in children at risk of committing CSAE to preventive care, to identify gaps a

The protection of children from sexual abuse is of paramount importance to society, and the threat of this abuse has only grown in recent years. Those who pose this threat, child sex offenders, have been found to congregate in online communities where they can trade abusive material and interact with each other. Despite concerns raised in research about the harmful influence of these communities on their members, they remain greatly understudied.

The research will explore how different technology ecosystems facilitate and drive abuse, and how they influence offender’s behaviours.

Warning messages have been used to disrupt individuals seeking online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and promote engagement with support services, yet large-scale field evidence on message content remains limited, particularly in high anonymity environments. This study reports a field experiment on Ahmia.fi, a Tor search engine, examining how warning message content influences behavior. Across a 140-day period, almost 20 million searches were observed, with over 3 million

The proliferation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on digital platforms poses a critical challenge for online safety, especially for children. Despite global efforts to combat CSAM, opportunities for exposure remain widespread, with limited research on its developmental and psychosocial impacts.

The research will explore how different technology ecosystems facilitate and drive abuse, and how they influence offender’s behaviours.

This manual for professionals aims to promote positive mental health and psycho-social well-being and to prevent and address psycho-social distress and mental disorders experienced by children in the context of crisis and emergency situations.

This article was originally published in English in Helsingin Sanomat Monthly Magazine on 12.12.2025 and has been translated into English below.

Online warning messages are a promising tool to tackle use of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This report maps the current evidence and practice landscape of online CSAM warning messages.

NEWS Protect Children is delighted to announce that our Executive Director Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen has received a highly prestigious invitation to join the new Safeguarding Advisory Group established by the Crimes Against Children (CAC) Unit of INTERPOL. The group will meet for the first time in December 2025. INTERPOL’s Safeguarding Initiative is a significant international effort designed to ensure that children’s rights and safety are prioritised across all of the organisat

This report examines the growing and evolving threat of image-based child sexual violence, amplifies the voices and experiences of victims and survivors, and highlights the urgent need for prevention and protection measures in Central Asia and beyond.

Child sexual abuse affects an estimated 1 in 7 boys, yet their experiences are often overlooked. This report amplifies the voices of 1,431 male survivors from the Global Our Voice Survivor Survey, revealing distinct patterns of abuse, disclosure, and long-term impact, and calling for action to ensure boys and men receive the prevention, support, and care they need.

Bergen/Helsinki - 29 August 2025. Survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation across the Nordic countries are speaking out about the widespread nature and lifelong consequences of online crimes. 1,416 survivors from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden shared their stories in a groundbreaking survey by Finnish child-rights organisation, Protect Children. New findings reveal that over 90% of survivors of online abuse experience profound long-term negative consequences. De

STATEMENT This statement addresses the disturbing phenomenon of news media outlets using blurred images of victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) in news posts and articles. While blurring images may appear to satisfy legal requirements for privacy, the emotional and psychological damage it may cause to the victim is rarely considered. Protect Children advocates strongly for the protection of the rights to safety and privacy of children by calling for an end to the use of images

REPORT The innovative research, conducted by Protect Children, gathered responses from over 54,000 anonymous child sexual abuse material...

Last week Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen traveled to New York City to meet with collaboration partners at Marsh Law Firm and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Protect Children joins with partners to transform the global response for victim/survivors of online child sexual abuse.

Yesterday, in collaboration with the Justice Initiative and Nordic Child Tech Policy Alliance (NOCTA), Protect Children held a High-level Conference in Stockholm to advocate for stronger measures to prevent and end childhood sexual violence across the Nordic countries.

Last week, the Protect Children team joined the IPPPRI25 conference!

Protect Children has been awarded for its holistic, research-based approach to tackling online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSAE). We received the presitigious 'Academic Contribution Award' at the 2025 Excellence in Online Protection gala event.