Our Director took part in a podcast where he spoke to Alan Collins from the British Law firm – Hugh James Solicitors about the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in Uganda. Mark and Hugh discussed the findings for Uganda from the Disrupting Harm research project that took place in 13 countries. While some structural change is occurring in East Africa, the research highlights that very few children subjected to abuse access justice. Many children do disclose to peers or trusted adults, but these people are not always well prepared to connect them to professional supports. We need to talk publicly and honestly about sexual abuse so that children feel safe and comfortable to come forward. You can listen to the podcast here.
Sexual consent and young people
It is commonly argued that establishing a minimum age at which individuals can legally consent to sexual activity helps protect children from sexual violence. However legislation can lead to unintended circumstances other than the desired effect of protecting children from being subjected to sexual offences by adults, including criminalization of sex between same aged peers. Evident’s Director, Dr Mark Kavenagh, took part in a recent discussion hosted by the Our Voices University Network to unpack some of the issues and possible solutions to these concerns. You can read the blog they developed here.
Participation of boys in research on child sexual abuse and exploitation
Research on child sexual exploitation and abuse must safely include children’s perspectives yet there is still a tendency to shy away from such participation, and this can be especially true for boys and young men. Evident’s Director, Dr Mark Kavenagh took part in a recent discussion hosted by the Our Voices University Network to unpack some of the barriers to boys participation in research on these topics. You can read key points from the discussion here.