Brave Movement Welcomes New G7 Commitments and the Recognition of the Importance of Survivors’ Perspectives, in Creating a World Free from Childhood Sexual Violence.

Germany, 18 November 2022 – Today, on the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence, G7 leaders have for the first time acknowledged the strong role of victims’ and survivors’ perspectives to help raise awareness of these horrific online and offline crimes. The G7 also pledged to consider, and promote, victims’ and survivors’ perspectives whenever measures to end child sexual exploitation and abuse are planned or implemented.

This is the first step towards building a world free from childhood sexual violence. To achieve this, governments must commit to investing the resources needed for prevention-healing-justice solutions to end sexual violence against children.

The Brave Movement welcomes this new G7 commitment to implement the G7 Action Plan to combat Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse announced in September 2021. Nevertheless, we are extremely disappointed that the Ministers did not make specific financial, legislative or time bound commitments-to-action for ensuring a safe internet for children and adolescents.

Wibke Müller, survivor, co-founder of the Brave Movement and co-chair of its G7 survivors’ taskforce said, “When I was a child, nobody protected me from sexual violence. I am devastated that over one billion children continue to be affected by this crime. Childhood sexual violence is the great silent scourge of our time. Shrouded in secrecy, it strikes individuals, shakes families and ravages communities in every corner of the world. We need bold and transformative action, not half-hearted commitments from the most powerful nations. This includes serious financial commitments towards evidence-based solutions. The Brave Movement is growing stronger every day. Our demands will only get louder and stronger until we are impossible to ignore. We can, and must, end childhood sexual violence for every child, everywhere.”

The Brave Movement calls on G7 Interior Ministers to urgently work with survivors on implementation of evidence-based solutions, which can end childhood sexual violence for all. And we:

• Demand that G7 establish a G7 Survivors Council based on the experience of the German Government so that survivors can provide recommendations to policymakers.
• Demand bold action by the G7 Heads of State and Government under the G7 Presidency of the Government of Japan at the Hiroshima Summit being held on May 19 to 21, 2023.
• Urge Germany, France, and Italy to back swift passage of the historic EU Legislation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse by the end of 2023 as fast as possible.
• Call on the UK government to enact a robust UK Online Safety Bill to protect children and adolescents as fast as possible by ending online childhood sexual violence.
• Call on the US government to enact the Eliminate Network Distribution (END) of Child Exploitation Act as fast as possible.

To find out more about Wibke Müller and the Brave Movement, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

ABOUT THE BRAVE MOVEMENT

The Brave Movement is a powerful global survivor-led movement that welcomes all allies in our mission to end childhood sexual violence. Supported by a $10M grant from the Oak Foundation to Together for Girls, this movement has become a powerful global force for change.

CONTACT THE BRAVE NEWSROOM

If you are a journalist or media outlet seeking further information about the Brave Movement, please contact our Brave Newsroom: press@bravemovement.org Our Brave Newsroom supports the movement by disseminating survivor calls for action, recruiting advocates and galvanizing supporters all over the world to end childhood sexual violence.