University network: children challenging sexual violence: first briefing paper

This university network supports the promotion of activities undertaken by universities around the world to challenge sexual violence against children, including curriculum development and delivery and research activities. It aims to connect those working in universities on such activities to share learning, to enhance collaboration and to raise the profile of the work. This is important as it is often through universities that knowledge is generated and validated and where the teaching of the next generation of practitioners occurs. While we are keen for the network to focus on supporting and encouraging those working within universities to challenge sexual violence against children, we appreciate that this can often be seen as a narrow field and that such work can take place only through ‘one off’ temporary grants or initiatives rather than a committed long term strategy. Much of the work developed is undertaken in partnership with international and national non-governmental organisations (INGOs/NGOs) and so we are keen to include this work where possible within the university network. We also appreciate that sexual violence is often addressed within generic approaches to violence against children. For these reasons we aims to include those working in universities challenging sexual violence against children or other forms of abuse. As the work develops and is further disseminated, we are keen to further prioritise activities focusing solely on sexual violence against children. In the longer term, we want to focus on university led strategic initiatives engaging participatory approaches with children and young people to prevent and respond to sexual violence against children. In particular the network is aiming to encourage university engagement with participatory approaches that enable and support children to be co-determiners of research agendas, activities, and teaching and curriculum materials. The university network is an initiative developed as part of the Our Voices programme of work coordinated by the ‘International Centre: Researching child sexual exploitation, violence and trafficking’ at the University of Bedfordshire in the UK (hereafter referred to as ‘the International Centre’) with current support from the Oak Foundation and Tides Foundation. The Our Voices programme promotes the involvement of children and young people affected by sexual violence in research, policy and practice. See more on https://www.our-voices.org.uk This briefing paper covers activities arising from the very early stages of the development of this network (from March to May 2019). It hopes to encourage others to contact us, engage with the work and be part of thinking about all further activities.