Stewards of Children Mobile Prevention Toolkit

1 in 10 children experience sexual violence. To address this epidemic, Childhood USA together with Darkness to Light and Ericsson developed a mobile application: Stewards of Children Prevention Toolkit. This tool is the first-of-its-kind mobile app that will equip adults with the skills and resources necessary to recognize, prevent, and respond to child sexual abuse.

Purpose

One year following the United Nation’s adoption of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Childhood USA presents Stewards of Children Prevention Toolkit to take steps towards achieving SDG 16.2, which specifically calls upon “ending child abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence (physical, psychological and sexual) and torture against children by 2030.” The mobile application fights against child sexual abuse by educating the adults how to protect the most vulnerable segment of our society—children.

Features of the App

The interactive app is an extension of Childhood USA’s #EyesWideOpen advocacy campaign launched in September 2015 by HRH Princess Madeleine. The app includes videos, checklists, quizzes and links to relevant resources that users can quickly access according to their needs, or browse through for comprehensive learning experience.

Users of the app will be able to learn the following:

• Facts about the sexual abuse of children (symptoms, statistics, etc)
• How to minimize the risks of sexual abuse
  • How to check the safety of institutions entrusted with the care of children
  • How to talk to and educate children
• How to report sexual abuse and seek help when a disclosure has been made

Launch of the App at the UN

On September 16th, the Stewards of Children Prevention Toolkit app was officially launched at a High-Level Meeting at the United Nations, titled “Solutions to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for Children.” At the meeting, champions of children’s rights and experts of diverse fields discussed the importance of partnerships in order to effectively activate the collective fight against child sexual abuse.

App Featured on Global Citizen

“I still cannot even say what really happened, other than he had sexual acts with me and had me perform them,” recounts one survivor in the opening video of the app.

Another survivor explains: “…all the signs were there but no one bothered to ask them about it. No one in their family and their work. We need to learn to see what’s going on and then ask questions. These survivors are the real and brave faces behind the startling and tragic statistics of child sexual abuse.”

The mobile application was recently featured on GlobalCitizen.org, a platform that inspires and provokes collective action to tackle global challenges. Read the article here to learn more about the app.