This peer-reviewed article in the brand new Child Protection and Practice journal was co-authored by Dr Mark Capaldi from Mahidol University and Evident’s Jennifer Schatz and Dr Mark Kavenagh. The article explores the intricate issue of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSEA) among LGBTQI+ children. Research reveals that LGBTQI+ status is associated with increased risks for CSEA, with these young individuals facing unique challenges such as homelessness, poly-victimization, and barriers to accessing vital protections. Yet it is crucial to understand that being LGBTQI+ is not the cause of increased vulnerability to CSEA. Instead, societal discrimination, stigma, and oppression linked to LGBTQI+ status elevate the risks of victimization. Our research highlights the need for targeted interventions and support to address these […]
Tag: sexual exploitation of boys
Are We Remembering the Boys?
Dr. Mark Kavenagh, recently made an appearance on the ‘One in Ten’ podcast by the National Children’s Alliance. In this compelling episode titled “Are We Remembering the Boys?”, he sheds light on a vital, yet often overlooked aspect of the discourse surrounding sexual exploitation – the experiences of boys. While there is no denying the fact that girls across the globe are disproportionately vulnerable to both sexual abuse and exploitation, Mark emphasized the reality that sexual violence does not discriminate by gender. Boys, too, are victims, but they often face unique stigmas and burdens that can hinder their path to healing. Listen to the full episode here.
Web Safe and Wise Campaign Support
Over five months of coaching and support, the team at Evident supported programming staff, together with communications staff from seven ChildFund country offices in South and Southeast Asia. Together, we identified and crafted seven narratives that showcased country office’s existing and new programmatic work regarding online safety. Based on these narratives, the team drafted a range of comms products that the country offices could use to articulate these narratives via public and media engagements, advocacy work with government, and other activities within the organisations broader global Web Safe and Wise campaign.
Special Issue of Child Abuse & Neglect: Global Insights on the Sexual Exploitation of Boys
This Special Issue of Child Abuse and Neglect includes six new empirical papers that shed new light on the sexual exploitation of boys. Research on the sexual exploitation of boys that predominantly represents lower- and middle-income countries is showcased. The issue begins with a global systematic scoping literature review that identified 81 publications from 38 countries on the topic. The papers include two on which Mark Kavenagh was a co-author. You can access the issue here. Thanks to the generous support of Oak Foundation, all papers in the issue are open access.
Paper: Barriers for boys in accessing supports for sexual exploitation
Mark Kavenagh co-authored this peer-reviewed paper together with Nicholas Hua and Christine Wekerle from McMaster University in Canada. The paper provides a gender norms analysis of the data presented in the ten country reports published as part of ECPAT International’s ground-breaking Global Boys Initiative. The paper synthesizes analysis of legal frameworks with findings from a survey of front line social support workers to name themes, challenges and present solutions You can download the full paper 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.