Global Collaboration: Visiting Partners in New York
- Protect Children
- Jun 30
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 18
NEWS
Last week, Executive Director Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen traveled to New York City to meet with our collaboration partners at James Marsh Law Firm and Columbia University.
Last week, Executive Director Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen traveled to New York City to visit our collaboration partners at Marsh Law Firm.
During her visit, Nina shared insights from our research and discussed with them the upcoming Project ASH. This groundbreaking initiative will create a platform for adult survivors of childhood sexual violence to receive holistic support: ranging from psychological support to detection and removal of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) from the internet with psychoeducation materials from Protect Children.
Project ASH will be led by the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI), and other project partners are Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Child Rescue Coalition (CRC). The project is funded by Safe Online and the Graham Dacre Foundation.
While Nina was in New York, the United States Supreme Court upheld a 2023 law in Texas which requires age-verification on adult pornography websites. This ruling is a massive landmark in the fight to keep children safe online and prevent accidental early-exposure to potentially harmful sexual content. Our research indicates that there is a link between adult pornography and CSAM use, warranting further investigation. Nina writes: "Our research shows that age verification and strict sign up requirements are needed to prevent sexual violence against children, especially in preventing the search and use of online child sexual abuse material CSAM ."
We would like to warmly congratulate our partners at Marsh Law Firm, especially James Marsh, on this great achievement. We look forward to the positive effects this decision will have in protecting children online.
Nina also met with Yana Mayevskaya, Associate Director of Care and Protection of Children at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Nina shared some results from our multiple groundbreaking research projects. They also discussed the upcoming WeProtect Global Alliance Global Threat Assessment, of which Nina is a steering committee member.
