Brave Movement request to Hon. Elizabeth Truss, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

To continue the country’s commitments on child sexual abuse and turn them into bold concrete actions during the upcoming G7 Interior Ministers meeting.

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing to you as UK survivors of childhood sexual violence and as members of the survivor-led Brave Movement. Our movement began this year and is growing rapidly worldwide.

Many congratulations on your new role. We know you have a huge amount on your plate, but we also know that you have been an invaluable champion of ending childhood sexual violence.

In the UK, survivors came together for the first time this year to draft the attached National Call to Action with 12 requests to the UK Government to drive forward Prevention, Healing, and Justice policies and programs. In the coming weeks and months, there will be several critical opportunities to take forward progress on these issues, including within the Online Safety Bill, and the launch of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. We urge you to drive this agenda forward boldly and without delay.

There Should be Zero Tolerance to Child Sexual Abuse

Two recent incidents bring to the fore the disturbing statistics with respect to the safety and sorry condition of minor girls in India.

Publication: Haribhoomi, page 6.
By Alka Arya
(Translated from Hindi)

Two recent incidents involving the rape of an eight-year-old girl in Delhi’s Badarpur area and another case wherein a fourteen-year-old girl committed suicide after being raped by her neighbour in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh once again bring to the fore the disturbing statistics with respect to the safety and sorry condition of minor girls in the country. For India which is home to 440 million children, child sexual abuse is an extremely sensitive issue. At the same time, it is concerning that not many parents, teachers and the general public are aware of the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) 2012. In one of the earlier surveys conducted by the Government, it emerged that 53 per cent of the children interviewed reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. In most cases, abusers were persons known to the child whom their parents trusted. Such incidents are not only confined to urban areas alone as even villages aren’t untouched. India and the world need to address child sexual abuse on a priority basis.

An incident of rape was reported recently from New Delhi’s Badarpur area where an eight-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a 30-year-old man. There were bite marks all over the victim’s body who lived with her mother. The crime took place when the victim’s mother had gone to a factory for work, leaving her alone at home. The accused entered the home, stuffed the victim’s mouth with a cloth to stop her from screaming and raped her. Police arrested the accused and sent his blood samples for tests. It came to the fore that the accused was HIV Positive, and he very well knew it. In another incident, a 14-year-old rape victim in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, committed suicide. The minor was raped on 22 May by a youth living in her neighbourhood. She was alone at her home when she was raped. She narrated her ordeal to her family members but the latter did not register a complaint against the accused. Instead, the accused’s family members reached the victim’s home on 26th May seeking a compromise. They wanted an undertaking from the girl’s family that there won’t be any case filed in the future and that the accused would marry the girl after she attained the marriageable age. However, the girl wanted her parents to get an FIR lodged against the accused, but in vain. Distraught at the sight of her parents trying to reach a compromise with the accused’s family, the minor committed suicide even as the accused’s family sat in the next room. After the suicide, the victim’s brother informed media that the Police booked the accused under Section 376 and 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Both the incidents – the rape of the eight-year-old girl in Delhi and suicide by the rape victim in Uttar Pradesh – once again bring to the fore the disturbing statistics with respect to the safety and sorry condition of minor girls in the country. In the current societal structure, if the offenders happen to belong to influential families, bringing them to book becomes even more difficult. In villages, it becomes tough when influential people intervene to protect the culprits. For India which is home to 440 million children along with a significant youth population, child sexual abuse is an extremely sensitive issue.. A government-sponsored survey found that more than 53 per cent children in the country faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Most of the abusers were known to the children and a significant number of them also enjoyed the trust of the victims’ parents.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), child sexual abuse is the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or that violates the laws. At the same time, it is concerning that not many parents, teachers and the general public are aware of the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) 2012. Indeed, it is highly disturbing to understand that the society at large is not fully aware about the magnitude of the challenge posed by child sexual abuse. While hearing a case, a Delhi Court once observed that lack of awareness is one of the reasons behind rising incidents of sexual offences against children. People are not aware about POCSO. They have no fear of the law in this regard. Notably, the POCSO Act, 2012 was brought in after a lot of struggles. It was promulgated to provide protection to children against sexual offence, sexual abuse and pornographic material. The POCSO Act also aims to protect children from inappropriate touch or being approached with wrong intent. It applies to all children under the age of 18 years. One of the features of the law is that it is gender-neutral. It means that the victims as well as the offenders could be both male or female. Children who happen to be the victims of sexual abuse during their childhood tend to suffer from the trauma for long. They live in depression while many even commit suicide. In many cases, Courts acquit the accused of sexual offences for want of appropriate evidence. The rate of conviction in such cases is abysmally low. Systemic issues in our judiciary, shortage of staff, insensitivity and lack of training of the officials dealing with child sexual abuse cases are among the reasons for the low conviction rate.

It is noteworthy that sexual assault of children is a global problem. As per ‘Together for Girls’, an international organization, 120 million girls and young women under 20 years of age have suffered some form of forced sexual contact. One in every fifth girl suffered sexual abuse when she was very young. The ratio for the same among boys is one in ten. Elsa D Silva, a member of the organization, calls for breaking the silence to break the chain of violence and mobilize people and institutions. He said that there is a need to collect nation-wise data and work with governments, institutions and individuals in addressing child sexual abuse.

A global campaign, Brave Movement to End Childhood Sexual Violence, has also been launched in this regard. An appeal has been made to take steps to stop incidents of child sexual abuse. Several Indian institutions and activists responded to the appeals which include providing protection to children and adolescents against sexual offences, treatment of the survivors, ensuring justice to the victims etc. Several notable institutions, including IIT Mandi, Indian Institute of Sciences (IIS), Benaras Hindu University (BHU) are signatories to the campaign. It also includes lists of child protection authorities. There is a special provision under Article 15(3) in the Indian Constitution under which states have been authorized to make provisions for ensuring child protection. Further, India is also a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly under Article 3. Under the provision, the onus of child protection lies on the parents, the school and the Government. India as well as other countries need to be sensitive toward child sexual abuse and needs to adopt a serious approach to tackle the problem.

Huge G7 Win in the Fight to End Childhood Sexual Abuse

Let’s #BeBrave and Continue the Momentum – Sign and Share the Petition!

Huge G7 Win in the Fight to End Childhood Sexual Abuse – Let’s #BeBrave and Continue the Momentum – Sign and Share the Petition!

We are nine survivors of childhood sexual violence from the Brave Movement from G7 countries and around the world.

We are asking you to join us, to break the silence around childhood sexual violence and demand bold action from governments all over the world.

This year, for the first time ever, G7 leaders collectively committed to stepping up our fight against trafficking in human beings and our efforts to prevent and combat child sexual abuse and exploitation globally, both online and offline. They have asked Interior Ministers to take forward the implementation of the Action Plan to combat Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse when they meet this Autumn.

This is a historic first step to creating a world where children grow up free from sexual violence. But words alone are not enough…

Now, we are urgently calling on the Leaders and Interior Ministers of the world’s richest countries to turn these words into bold and transformative action – to set an example to the rest of the world and to ensure that what happened to us never happens to another child, anywhere.

There are evidence-based, proven solutions. We demand:

  • Legislation to create a safer internet where children and adolescents are free from sexual violence;
  • A global pledging event on November 18, 2022, and an initial investment of at least US$1 billion per year for the established End Violence Fund, to scale programs of prevention, healing, and justice;
  • Creation of the G7 Survivors Council to advise governments on actions that they take to permanently end sexual violence against children and adolescents.

Please join us as survivors and our allies to demand prevention, to protect current and future generations; healing, for survivors and their families; and justice for survivors, holding perpetrators and the complicit to account.

It is time to break the silence. The burden should not be placed on survivors alone – everyone has a role to play.

***

Childhood sexual violence is a global scourge, which at least one in five girls and one in ten boys experience. It has devastating long-term consequences for children, families, and societies. And the COVID pandemic has exposed children to even greater risk.

Childhood sexual violence is happening, in silence, in every nation. In family homes, sports, schools, and places of worship. Also across borders, in the form of online abuse, trafficking, and sexual exploitation perpetrated by tourists.

Ending this scourge is essential for humanity. It demands a coordinated international response, and the world’s richest countries must take the lead because they have a special responsibility.

Child Safety Online Must be a Priority

14 organizations launch campaign to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material online.

We are proud to launch the Child Safety Online Now (#ChildSafetyOnlineNow) campaign in partnership with 14 organisations dedicated to protecting children’s safety and rights online.

The campaign supports the European Commission’s proposal to tackle the rampant and growing spread of child sexual abuse online. In 2021, 85 million pieces of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were reported online.[1] This is a growth of 35% from 2020.[2] The European Commission’s proposal aims to make it mandatory for technology platforms to detect, report, and remove CSAM. This will have a huge impact in protecting children, preserving children’s privacy, and reducing the devastating harm this content has on survivors of child sexual abuse. The proposal also aims to establish an EU Centre that will be responsible for coordinating actions between online service providers and law enforcement agencies to end child sexual abuse online while also providing support to child victims of sexual abuse in the EU. A crucial element of the proposal asks online service providers always to report cases of grooming, a vital measure to prevent harm before it happens.

With the #ChildSafetyOnlineNow campaign, Missing Children Europe, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, ECPAT International, Brave Movement, Canadian Centre for Child Protection, Internet Watch Foundation, NSPCC, End Violence Against Children, Thorn, 5 Rights Foundation, Terre des Hommes, WeProtect Global Alliance, Inhope, Child Helpine International aim to raise awareness of the pressing need to protect children online and support the European Commission proposal to both prevent and combat child sexual abuse online. Children are spending more and more time online through all manner of devices and platforms; the proposal looks to protect children wherever they are so they can live, learn, and thrive in their digital worlds without the threat of online child sexual abuse. The campaign includes a hero video, website, and social media content. The website and social media content is available in EN, FR, IT, ES, DE & NL.

THE SCALE AND SCOPE OF THE CHALLENGE

  • 1 in 5 users of digital services in the EU is a child.[3]
  • 62% of all reported CSAM in 2021 was hosted in Europe.[4]
  • In 2021, the Internet Watch Foundation found child sexual abuse material online every two minutes.[5]
  • Public polling shows widespread public support (68%) for the use of technical tools to identify child sexual abuse material and for the European Union to introduce legislative change to help improve child safety.[6]

Sarah Cooper, Brave Movement SAGE member and human trafficking survivor, said: “The Brave Movement is calling for a child rights and protection driven approach to creating a safe internet where children and adolescents are safe and secure, free from all forms of digital sexual violence. We call on all technology companies to immediately detect, report, and remove all online childhood sexual violence materials. Online childhood sexual violence is a universal, borderless crime, which demands action in every country around the globe.”

Susie Hargreaves OBE, IWF Chief Executive, said: “The IWF’s mission is to create an internet free from child sexual abuse that’s a safe place for children and adults to use around the world, but we cannot do this alone.

“We are proud to be part of this vital campaign supporting the European Commission’s necessary and timely proposal to tackle the insidious growth of child sexual abuse online.

“Technology platforms have a responsibility to safeguard their young users’ safety and privacy and the IWF has the world-class expertise and quality datasets to help companies detect, report and remove the spread of this illegal content.”

Lianna McDonald, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection, said: “We have waited years for tech companies to do the right thing and voluntarily take action to stop child sexual abuse on their platforms – now it is time for regulation. Almost half of all CSAM removal notices issued by Project Arachnid had previously been flagged to the same providers, meaning that tech companies are allowing known CSAM to be re-uploaded on their services. It is time for governments to do what only they can. We applaud the EU for leading the world in requiring tech companies to employ proactive detection to prevent harm from occurring on their services.”

Patrick Krens, Executive Director, Child Helpline International, said: “Child Helpline International welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to combat and prevent child sexual abuse online. We support the strong safeguards, the new independent EU Centre and mandatory use of safe technologies. Child helplines are a key service in any child protection system and play a crucial role in the victim response mechanisms across Europe. We believe in this campaign since it has the potential to make an impact far beyond the European Union and will help advance the global fight against child sexual abuse in both the offline and online worlds. By joining forces, we are in a unique position to turn the tide and win this fight as quickly as possible.”

Guillaume Landry, Executive Director, ECPAT International, said: “The protection and empowerment of children in digital spaces must become the rule, not the exception. And ECPAT knows from an EU-wide survey conducted in late 2021 the EU public agrees. Indeed, 68 % have expressed widespread support for the use of automated tools to identify child sexual abuse materials, and for the EU to introduce long-term legislation that will keep children safe online. This regulation is important because it serves as a reference to the rest of the world, establishing concrete mechanisms for the safe use of technologies to detect child sexual exploitation and abuse, and by making online service providers responsible and accountable for protecting children. Children have a right to live a life free from exploitation. It is time that we take all necessary measures to ensure that their privacy and protection is enforced in all online and offline environment. With children, we can turn the tide.”

Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, President, Missing Children Europe, said: “This legislation is crucial, not only to protect survivors of child sexual abuse from further harm but also to address the continuous increase in online grooming leading to children going missing”.

Iain Drennan, Executive Director, WeProtect Global Alliance, said: “Child sexual exploitation and abuse online is increasing at a rapid rate and a step change is required in the collective response to create safe online environments for children. Legislations like the one that the EU have proposed are crucial to protect children online, by focusing on preventing harm from happening in the first place and bringing offenders to justice.”

Dr. Howard Taylor, Executive Director of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, said: “We welcome the EU’s proposed legislation which presents an important opportunity for the EU to set high standards to create a safe digital environment through policy action, which is key in keeping children safe online. End Violence believes that strong legislation is the basis for decisive action by governments, industry and other key stakeholders to make sure that the internet is safe for children. Our Safe Online initiative is proud to be part of this important campaign and is also promoting and seeking support for the legislation across our network of more than 700 member organisations and with our global network of Safe Online partners working specifically to tackle online child sexual exploitation and abuse across 75 countries, including across the EU.”

Please contact press@bravenewsroom.org for interviews. To find out more about the Brave Movement, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn andTwitter

[1]European Commission, May 2022

[2]Guardian, March 2022

[3] 5Rights, The Digital Services Act must deliver for children, 2022

[4] IWF, Annual Report, 2021

[5] IWF, Annual Report 2021, 2021

[6] ECPAT, Project Beacon: What do EU Citizens think of the balance between online privacy and child protection?, 2021

Brave Movement Statement on New Legislation in Bolivia to Protect Child Survivors of Sexual Violence

On March 29th and 30th 2022, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights heard the groundbreaking case of Brisa De Angulo Losada vs. Bolivia

Background:

  • On March 29th and 30th 2022, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights heard the groundbreaking case of Brisa De Angulo Losada vs. Bolivia.
  • The case has been so damning of the Bolivian government’s inaction that there have been threats to Brisa’s person, her family, doxxing of her private information and character assassination strategies to try and get her to drop the case.
  • This week, Bolivia announced approval of new legislation for the protection of child victims of sexual violence that includes significant reforms aimed at reducing impunity and revictimization.
  • Bolivian President Luis Arce’s statement on the new legislation can be viewed here

Statement by Brisa de Angulo, lawyer, child psychologist, human right activist and human rights defender:

JULY 11, 2022 – “In 2002, I was repeatedly raped and tortured by an adult family member. When I sought justice and support from the Bolivian government, I was failed by a judicial system which protects perpetrators and cements a culture of impunity. It was government officials who committed the most horrific acts of revictimization that I suffered.

But today, Bolivia has taken action to protect the children and adolescents who experience sexual violence in our country. This new law reduces the probability of the atorcous abuses of official capacity that I suffered in my case, and it creates clear mechanisms for holding government officials accountable. After almost twenty years of fighting for justice, I am so humbled to be part of this first and great step on the path to policy reform and justice for all of us.

This new legislation breaks new ground here in Bolivia. Now the Inter-American court must take the lead and act to ensure similar and even more extensive law and policy reform – and justice – for all children in the region.”

Statement by Bolivian Senator Andrea Barrientos:

“One of the most important aspects of this law is that the crime of rape against an infant, child, or adolesent is no long subject to a statute of limitations. This is of fundamental importance because, sadly, when a person suffers rape in childhood or adolescense, it takes a long time to denouce the crime because denouncing implies a process of profound healing.”

We’re dealing with an issue of International Human Rights. The Bolivian government, just a while back, lost a case involving that girl Brisa from Cochabamba. She is a victim of estupro and rape, and this iconic case has made us see that we have the duty to develop better protection policies immediately.”

“This effort is advancing in a meaningful and important way. It’s the first time the legislative branch is developing legislation with total consensus and unanimous agreement from both the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, as well as with the full collaboration of the three branches of government.”

Please contact press@bravenewsroom.org for interviews with Brisa and other members of the Brave Movement.

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

Brave Movement statement in response to G7 communiqué

Wibke Müller, survivor, co-founder of the Brave Movement and co-chair of its G7 survivors’ taskforce responds

Wibke Müller, survivor, co-founder of the Brave Movement and co-chair of its G7 survivors’ taskforce:

Schloss Elmau, Germany, June 28 2022 – “When I was a child, nobody protected me from sexual violence. Today, G7 leaders have collectively committed for the first-time to be the protectors that I needed – and that all children deserve.

This is a first historic breakthrough for our movement. Survivors and our allies in the G7 countries and around the world want our leaders to know that words aren’t enough. We need bold action now. Starting in your countries, at the meeting of G7 interior ministers in October, and then at the 2023 G7 summit in Hiroshima.

Last week, the Brave Movement ranked G7 countries in their efforts to protect children and adolescents from childhood sexual violence, and found woefully inadequate action from all G7 countries.

The Brave Movement is calling on the G7 and all global governments to:

  • Support the Brave Movement’s call for a global pledging event on November 18, 2022 and commit to an initial investment of at least US$1 billion per year for the established End Violence Fund
  • Legislate to create a safe internet where children and adolescents are free from sexual violence
  • Create a G7 Survivors Council to advise G7 governments on actions that they take to permanently end sexual violence against children everywhere and for every child.”

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

G7 Governments Failing to Take Action to End Childhood Sexual Violence

New data released by the Brave Movement assesses G7 policies to tackle childhood sexual violence

  • A new report ranking G7 nations on their efforts to protect children from abuse shows that global leaders are failing – with progress woefully inadequate to end childhood sexual violence
  • The U.S.A, France, Japan and Italy are the worst performers, having made very limited progress to end sexual violence against children based on key indicators developed by survivors
  • The report from the Brave Movement is the first ever comparative assessment of G7 policies to tackle the humanitarian crisis of childhood sexual violence – as survivors call on G7 leaders to table this issue at their Summit this weekend

June 24, 2022: Global advocacy group, the Brave Movement, has delivered a scathing assessment of global leaders’ lack of progress to end sexual violence against children.

In an emergency press conference ahead of the G7 Summit being held June 26-28, survivors and allies will release the details of the Ending Childhood Sexual Violence: #BeBrave G7 Scorecard analyzing the commitment of G7 nations to tackle child sexual violence, with damning results for France, Italy, Japan and the U.S.A. in particular. The newly released data proves that there is an appalling lack of progress by all G7 countries when it comes to ending childhood sexual violence in their own countries and across the world.

Key findings:

  • G7 governments’ efforts are woefully inadequate to end childhood sexual violence, both domestically and globally
  • The UK is the only G7 country to have made a meaningful investment to the End Violence Fund to tackle childhood sexual violence
  • Canada has made the largest ODA investment to tackle childhood sexual violence out of all G7 countries but data shows that Official Development Assistance to end childhood violence decreased between 2018 and 2020 in real terms
  • No G7 country has adequate protections in place to create a safe internet free of all online forms of sexual violence
  • The Government of Germany is the only country that has successfully established a National Survivors Council
  • No country has a comprehensive National Action Plan to address childhood sexual violence which adequately addresses prevention, healing, and justice

Wibke Müller, SAGE member and Co-Chair of the Brave Movement G7 Taskforce with Co-Chair, Matthias Katsch, said:Without sufficient funding, prevention, healing and justice policies and programs are small-scale, non-existent, or failing to reach the populations in urgent need of action and services. The Brave Movement envisions a world in which children and adolescents grow up free from the threat of sexual violence. Bold, decisive action and investment is urgently needed to make this a reality now.”

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Board Chair, PMNCH, said: “Childhood sexual violence is a global scourge, affecting at least one in ten girls globally. It undermines other investments in child health, education, gender equality, SRHR, and sustainable development. The “triple C” threat of COVID-19, climate change, and the rising number of conflicts around the world puts children, adolescents and women everywhere at high risk. Tracking and reporting progress, as the Brave Movement is doing, is essential for giving a voice to survivors, and ending all sexual violence moving forward.”

The Brave Movement is putting pressure on leaders by catalyzing action around the world in the run up to the G7, targeting landmarks with commemorative ‘#BeBrave Purple Plaques’ which highlight atrocities against children perpetrated by institutions within G7 nations and beyond.

Following the emergency press conference, survivors and allies will unveil a plaque honoring survivors of clergy abuse in Germany at the ‘Peterskirche’ (St Peter’s Church) in Munich. St Peter’s Church is the oldest recorded Roman Catholic parish church in Munich and the plaque will send a signal to leaders and institutions that survivors will not allow them to hide in plain sight any longer.

The church is one of the landmarks of the Bavarian capital Munich. At least 497 children and adolescents were abused in the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising over a period of almost 74 years (from 1945 to 2019). Most of them were young; 247 are male victims and 182 are female. Sixty percent of the survivors were between the ages of 8-14, abused by 235 perpetrators of abuse including 173 priests and nine deacons.

The German leadership has expressed its commitment to tackling childhood sexual violence and adding it to the G7 Summit agenda. As recently as June 2, Dr. Markus Richter, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, Government of Germany said, “the German Government is putting this topic on the top of the list of its Presidency of the G7.

Now, the Brave Movement is calling for tangible, bold and transformative action which goes beyond commitments. At the G7 Summit, the Brave Movement survivors and allies will deliver a petition signed by more than 70 thousand survivors and allies, asking G7 leaders to:

  • Support the Brave Movement’s call for a global pledging event on November 18, 2022 and commit to an initial investment of at least US$1 billion per year for the established Global Partnership and Fund to End Violence Against Children
  • Legislate to create a safe internet where children and adolescents are free from sexual violence
  • Create a G7 Survivors Council to advise G7 governments on actions that they take to permanently end sexual violence against children

— ENDS —

NOTES TO EDITORS

G7 nation survivor statements:

Rosalia Rivera, is a Canadian survivor, consent educator and abuse prevention specialist, sexual literacy advocate and member of the Brave Movement:The lifelong effects of child sexual abuse, like mental health crises, addiction, suicide, and chronic illnesses, create a world where individuals struggle to be thriving productive members of their communities. The economic impact of these long-term consequences is costing the world trillions of dollars in loss of, not only productivity but the overall quality of life. I hope that the leaders of the G7 can understand why investing in the solutions that the Brave Movement proposes, must be prioritized, now more than ever, as we face the biggest child sexual abuse epidemic in history.”

Ending Childhood Sexual Violence: #BeBrave G7 Scorecard

The 2022 Ending Childhood Sexual Violence: #BeBrave G7 Scorecard assesses each G7 country on how they are responding to childhood sexual violence at home and across the world. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States are evaluated and ranked according to their progress on a strategic set of policy indicators necessary to moving forward action on ending this abhorrent global crisis.

  • The indicators have been developed and informed by survivor advocates at the heart of the Brave Movement, who co-created demands such as the G7 Call to Action and the #BeBrave Global Call to Action.
  • The Scorecard uses newly released data from the forthcoming 2022 Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Out of the Shadows Index and the preliminary data from the forthcoming 2022 Counting Pennies 3 report developed by World Vision International and partners. These full reports will be released later in 2022.
  • See the full Ending Childhood Sexual Violence: #BeBrave G7 Scorecard

The Brave Movement G7 Survivor’s Camp:

The Brave Movement will be present at the G7 Summit at its first “Survivors Camp” in Munich, Germany : For more information, contact: brave@eckiger-tisch.de

The Brave Newsroom:

Please contact press@bravemovement.org for:

  • Interviews with survivor advocates and leaders
  • Images and videos
  • More information and to explore feature ideas

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

Statement on the outcome of Operation Linden

The Brave Movement is shocked by the outcome of the Operation Linden report and condemns its failure to hold police officers to account for their misconduct and neglect.

Statement from the Brave Movement, a survivor-centered movement to end childhood sexual violence, on the outcome of Operation Linden:

The Brave Movement is shocked by the outcome of the Operation Linden report and condemns its failure to hold police officers to account for their misconduct and neglect.

The lifelong effects of childhood sexual abuse are devastating and the hundreds of girls who were subjected to the atrocities in Rotherham deserve better from UK authorities, institutions and leaders.

The Brave Movement stands with all survivors of the Rotherham sex grooming scandal.

The Brave Movement envisions a world in which children and adolescents grow up free from sexual violence.

With the right resources, cohesive mobilization and political will, childhood sexual violence is preventable.

This is why we are calling on G7 leaders to invest in prevention, healing and justice for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, holding perpetrators to account.

Sarah Cooper Statement at Facebook Annual General Meeting

Founding member of the Brave Movement, Sarah Cooper, is a survivor of child sexual abuse through Facebook Messenger

Sarah Cooper Statement at Facebook Annual General Meeting, May 26, 2021

My name is Sarah Cooper and I am a member of the Survivor’s Council of ECPAT-USA, the leading anti-child trafficking organization in the United States.

I am here this morning to present resolution #6 asking the Board to report on the risk of increased sexual exploitation of children as the Company develops and offers additional privacy tools such as end-to-end encryption.

One year ago, I told my personal story publicly for the first time, of being groomed and trafficked by a predator that I met on Facebook. He seemed to be my age, but was actually decades older. I was groomed starting when I was 15 until just after my 18th birthday. It seemed innocent enough at the beginning. I received a Facebook friend request from someone I didn’t know.

We exchanged messages back and forth and after some time I sent photos to my predator, then more images to him. He groomed me for over two years. I thought he was a friend, someone I could trust. I didn’t really know anything was wrong until I met him in person, and saw his face, I finally realized he was closer to 40 than 18. Once I stepped into his car it was too late… When I was trafficked, given drugs, sold into sex slavery and held against my will at gunpoint… my instinct was to survive. I was lucky enough to have been rescued by a friend and thankfully survived my ordeal; some are not as lucky and never make it home.

For years, I was unaware of the dangers lurking on the internet, until I myself became a target. Today, as an advocate working to prevent child sex trafficking, I’ve come to understand that law enforcement in the field relies extensively on tips from Facebook to bring predators to justice. But what will happen when you go to end-to-end encryption on the Messenger app?

Facebook admitted that in going forward with implementing end-to-end encryption it will not be able to see child sexual abuse materials online, and the number of these reports will go down. Therefore, the number of children’s lives that could be saved or helped, will be less.

Facebook made nearly 21 million reports of child sexual abuse materials last year, and it has been estimated that 75% of these will become invisible once it applies end-to end encryption. Those reports are not just ‘reports’ – they are children. Children who are scared and hurt, children who need our help, children who believe Facebook would never hurt them. They are someone’s daughter, sister, grandchild and neighbor.

Facebook needs to immediately improve age verification, increase human monitoring of content, work in tighter cooperation with law enforcement – and it should absolutely delay expanding encryption on its platforms until it can protect children.

Privacy is important, but we need a balance of privacy and protection of the most vulnerable members of society, our children.

Facebook is a great platform, but it is not a safe platform. And with encryption it will become one of the world’s most dangerous ’playgrounds’ for children.

Thank you.

Global Survivor Centered Movement Launches

The movement is demanding action to end sexual violence against children and adolescents

The Brave Movement is led by fifteen adult survivors of childhood sexual violence and their allies, coming together from every continent to demand action and USD billions to scale prevention, healing and justice

Leaders of the Movement say: “Progress is slow: more urgent action is needed, now!”

London, 3 March 2021 – The Brave Movement launches today – a global advocacy movement led by fifteen adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and allied organizations that aims to end all forms of sexual violence against children and adolescents.

The Brave Movement is taking collective action and seeking to achieve bold and transformational laws, programs and policies at both the local, national and regional level, and in global institutions within the multilateral system.

The Brave Movement is building an international advocacy movement of survivors and allies that will aim to mobilize billions for programs of prevention, healing and justice around the world; abolish Statutes of Limitation in every nation across the world; and develop a child-rights driven approach to online end-to-end encryption.

As a first step, the Brave Movement has mobilized survivor advocates and allies in advance of the G7 Summit in Germany in June 2022 with a call for a G7 survivors council, domestic resource mobilization in G7 nations and a $1bn commitment to scale prevention, healing and justice in low- and middle-income countries through a transformed End Violence Fund.

In addition, the movement has launched a Global Challenge to develop survivor-centered national calls to action leading up to a Global Survivors Action Summit on 27 April 2022 to endorse a global call to action to end childhoodsexual violence.

Catalyzed by Together for Girls with support from the Oak Foundation, The Movement launches at a pivotal moment as the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) look to make progress towards an equitable world.

THE SCALE AND SCOPE OF THE CHALLENGE

  • From 2019 to 2020 there was a 100% increase in reports from the public of online sexual exploitation
  • 1 in 5 women report having been sexually abused as a child, one in ten girls under the age of 20 have experienced sexual violence and every year 12 million girls are married before their 18th birthday
  • 1 in 10 men report having been sexually abused as children
  • Based on data from over 20 countries, anywhere from 8% to 24% of boys experience some form of sexual violence before the age of 18
  • The global economic impacts and costs resulting from the consequences of physical, psychological and sexual violence against children and adolescents can be as high as $7 trillion

Dr Daniela Ligiero, survivor and a leader in the Brave Movement said: “Childhood sexual violence is a silent global scourge. Children are exposed to sexual violence in multiple forms: child sexual abuse, incest, child sexual exploitation, rape, child marriage, sexual violence in dating relationships, and sexual violence among peers. Child marriage affects millions of girls around the world, and sexual violence and abuse occurs in families, communities, schools, sports programs, places of worship, and online. Children and adolescents of every age, race, ethnicity, caste, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity are impacted. Progress is slow: more urgent action is needed, now!”

Dr Paul Zeitz, survivor and a leader in the Brave Movement explained why survivors and allies are crucial to the Movement: “Survivors of childhood sexual violence are pivotal to decision making for prevention, healing and justice, as our lived experience must inform all policy decisions. As survivor advocates and allies, we demand prevention to protect this and every generation to come; healing for survivors and their families; and justice for wrongdoers, the complicit, and the victimized. With the right resources, cohesive mobilization and political will, childhood sexual violence abuse can become a thing of the past.”

Rosalia Rivera, survivor and leader in the Brave Movement said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed children everywhere to an even greater risk of violence while reducing their ability to access any support. The Brave Movement will push for stronger political will, strengthen data and evidence, and better inform policy, strategy and investments across the world. We need to work with one another to shift attitudes, change behaviors, and influence corporations and governments.”

Tabitha Mpamira, survivor and leader in the Brave Movement said: Breaking the silence is on all of us and should not be a burden placed solely on survivors. As allies, advocates, practitioners, parents, friends, community members, faith leaders, policymakers, decision-makers and researchers, we must all act with urgency, and strengthen our movement to do more for children.”

Join the Brave Movement:

https://www.bravemovement.org/

@bebraveglobal

The Brave Movement leadership includes SAGE: Survivor Advocates Globally Empowered and a Global Steering Group (GSG).

SAGE Members:

  • Brisa De Ángulo, Bolivia
  • Dr Daniela Ligiero, USA, Brazil
  • ElsaMarie D’Silva, India
  • Florence Keya, Kenya
  • Janet Aguti, Uganda
  • Dr Matthew McVarish, UK
  • Miguel Hurtado, Spain
  • Dr Paul Zeitz, USA
  • Robert Shilling, USA
  • Rosalia Rivera, El Salvador, Canada, SAGE Chair
  • Professor S Caroline Taylor, AM, Australia, SAGE Vice-Chair
  • Sarah Cooper, USA
  • Suresh Chhetry, Nepal
  • Tabitha Mpamira, Rwanda, Uganda, USA
  • Wibke Muller, Germany

Global Steering Group (GSG) :

  • The Army of Survivors
    • Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran, MSW
  • End Violence Lab at the University of Edinburgh
    • Dr Catherine Maternowska
  • Girls Not Brides
    • Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell
  • Together for Girls
    • Daniela Ligiero, GSG Chair
    • Sandie Taylor, GSG Vice-Chair for Finance and Administration
  • WeProtect Global Alliance
    • Iain Drennan, GSG Principal Vice-Chair
  • World Vision International
    • Bill Forbes
  • Global Survivors Advocacy Group (SAGE) representatives to the GSG
    • Rosalia Rivera
    • Professor S Caroline Taylor
    • Brisa De Angulo, Esq.
    • Sarah Cooper
    • Florence Keya
  • Movement Action Team
    • Dr. Kathleen Cravero, GSG Community Manager
    • Dr. Paul Zeitz, Movement Executive Coordinator (interim)

NOTES TO EDITORS

ABOUT THE BRAVE MOVEMENT

The Brave Movement is a new powerful and global survivor-centered and all allies advocacy movement to end sexual violence against children. Supported by a $10M grant from the Oak Foundation to Together for Girls, this movement is gearing up to 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.