Telefono Azzurro: Breaking the silence

On 5 May 2018, the Italian National Day against Pedophilia and Child Pornography*, SOS Il Telefono Azzurro Onlus (one of two internet hotlines operating in the country, and member of INHOPE, the international association of internet hotlines) organised a conference titled "Sexual abuse and pedophilia: Knowing the phenomenon to break the silence". Discussions focused on the importance of multi-disciplinary and multi-level collaboration between different players.

Date 2018-06-15 Author Telefono Azzurro, Italian hotline Section awareness, hotlines
During the conference, some statistics were shared: in 2017, Telefono Azzurro's helpline and hotline (114 Child Emergency Service) handled a case of child sexual abuse every 72 hours. In four out of ten cases, the victim was less than 10 years old with a prevalence of girls (71.7 per cent).
 
During the event, Telefono Azzurro also launched a call to action which included the following points:
  • Address the problem of child sexual abuse starting from a multi-disciplinary perspective that will allow the implementation of multilevel interventions.
  • Design educational and innovative prevention programmes for children and their families.
  • Provide specialised training to professionals working in the field of education, childhood and adolescence.
  • Establish minimum quality standards for professionals and operators who are in contact with children and adolescents.
  • Apply adequate child protection policies. 
  • Develop intervention and treatment pathways for victims and offenders based on scientific evidence, by sharing best practices with proven efficacy.
  • Mobilise all stakeholders, including children and adolescents, in the fight against abuse.
  • Involve children and adolescents in the design of dedicated programmes and always listen to their inputs.
The 114 Child Emergency Service is a helpline and hotline promoted by the Department of Equal Opportunities and managed from its inception in 2003 by Telefono Azzurro. It is active 24 hours a day, every day, and accessible for free on a national level and is also multilingual. The service deals with all forms of child emergencies as well as reports of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or other inappropriate content online.
 
Find out more about the work of the Italian Safer Internet Centre (SIC), including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services. See also the INHOPE website or visit the Telefono Azzurro website direct.
 
* Within the context of hotline work, the term "child sexual abuse material (CSAM)" is used in preference to "child pornography" to more accurately reflect the criminal and abusive nature of such content.

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