The goal of project STOP! is to develop new digital methods and content that will help prevent sexual abuse in Europe better. The project provides informal learning opportunities for all who work with children and adolescents.These learning opportunities are expanded and supplemented for professional trainers who will receive new tools and material for their work. Through European cooperation, existing prevention concepts will be incorporated into the participating countries. At the heart of the project is the development of an e-learning platform that is designed to be used by non-professionals as well as trainers in further education. The learning platform should be graphically / artistically appealing and attractive. Anyone who has anything to do with children and adolescents should be able to learn here how to behave correctly, what to do in crisis situations, how to recognize abuse, what the legal situation is, etc. Thematic fields are explored by the partners and prepared pedagogically / didactically for the learning platform. It covers classical areas of prevention work as well as new and innovative approaches. In addition, there is a toolbox for coaches, which arise from the thematic fields and can be used directly for prevention training. A set of videos with interviews with young people completes the project. Here the young people themselves should have the say. The starting point is the "Lanzarote Convention" of 2007, the "European Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse". The project is explicitly in line with Article 5 (1), which provides awareness and training for all those working in the field of child and youth work. Child abuse is a widespread phenomenon in Europe. 18 million children are estimated to be affected by sexual abuse, according to the current European report on child maltreatment. The European Parliament has explicitly stated in a study that a "culture of prevention" is missing at European level. Through European cooperation and the development of an easily accessible prevention tool, the STOPP! Project wants to contribute to counteracting this desideratum. The partners involved are adult education institutions that are either familiar with the development of e-learning tools or active in the field of prevention, (sexual) violence and child protection. Together with an external expert, this group will create the most appropriate and responsible learning and knowledge offers on the topic in this thematically sensitive field. The project includes thematic multiplier events (conferences) in each partner country with a total of 160 participants and a training event with 50 participants, in which the prevention trainers are trained to use the new material and network with the participants and partners. The learning platform and the toolbox should take up the following content (or a selection thereof): Classic topics of prevention work • Comply with children and adolescents in a sensitive way • Sexual abuse and the internet • Gender stereotypes of women and men, boys and girls • What to do if abuse occurs, how do you recognize victims, what happens to the perpetrators, what are the health consequences for the victims? • How can children be strengthened? About no-say Advanced / new approaches • Avoiding sexualized and stereotyped language usage • Intercultural aspects • Religions and churches in the discussion about protection against abuse • Internal organization of institutions for children and adolescents • The limits and possibilities of prevention work • The EU Lanzarote Convention on Sexual Abuse • National information and instructions
With the project we wanted to develop an offer that can be carried out in adult education informally or as a blended learning concept. Adult education institutions were to be given a tool to offer and conduct professional prevention training, especially for lay people. Furthermore, it should be possible for the learning offer to be used by all those who deal with children and young people. In this way, the project wants to make a contribution to better protecting children from abuse.
The project deals with a very important and pressing issue in Europe: sexualised violence against children and young people. Recent studies (e.g. in the field of church and sport) show how widespread child abuse is in different organisations and in Europe as a whole. 18 million children are estimated to be victims of sexual abuse in Europe. Existing prevention concepts mainly aim at institutional protection concepts and training of professional staff. This gave rise to the idea that prevention work and awareness-raising should not only reach this narrow circle, but as far as possible everyone who deals with children and young people. Those who have learned the principles of prevention should be able to control their own behaviour, observe others accordingly and point out mistakes, support and strengthen children properly and act correctly in cases of suspicion. A framework for this is provided by the Lanzarote Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of 2007, which all EU countries have ratified. The project sees itself explicitly in line with Article 5 para. 1, which provides for awareness raising and training for all those working in the field of children and youth work.