More than survivors

More than survivors is a three-year project run by ChildX with support from the Swedish Inheritance Fund. The overall goal of the project is to strengthen the voice and position of survivors* in society to better prevent and combat child sexual abuse.

We want to create structural conditions for survivors to be actively included in the work in a safe and constructive way – at all levels of society.

Over the past 5-10 years, there has been a growing international movement internationally that advocates for the right of survivors to participate in their work. Both in the UN context and in organizations working against child sexual abuse, actors at all levels are recommended to work with both children and survivors’ participation. Research also shows that working on the issue can be empowering and meaningful for survivors themselves.

In Sweden, however, measures to strengthen survivor participation are still rare and many times survivors are only involved at the individual level as if the target group is being consulted rather than participating in or directing the work. Obstacles raised to the active participation of people who have themselves been subjected to sexual violence are risks of re-traumatization and that there are no structural conditions that allow this to happen in a safe way.

We have seen evidence that there are organizational methods and training that are missing for survivors to be included. Partly because we have experienced these needs ourselves in our work with survivors, and partly because the survivors we come into contact with say so, for example within the framework of our international network of survivor organizations Beyond Survivors , which we launched in spring 2023.

The project aims to overcome these barriers by developing training and methodologies on how different actors can work with survivors in a sustainable way. As part of the project, a expert group of young survivors and by providing them with training, support and the opportunity to participate in the project’s activities, the project itself becomes an example of how to work with survivors.

Several external organizations, including the Police and Victim Support, will participate as pilot activities and implement the methods and training materials developed. The Reference Group, composed of partner organizations, will contribute to the recruitment of the expert group and evaluate and provide input on the project progress and materials. Applications for the expert group are now closed, but please contact Sara Aarnivaara, Project Manager, for information on the work.

The reference group includes:
Not your whore
The Association Together
Last girls
Crunch at home
Rise – The National Association Against Incest and Other Sexual Abuse in Childhood

Project milestones

Increase knowledge and skills of survivors on issues such as trauma and sustainable engagement.
Develop and test methods for ethical survivor engagement.
Develop an online training and guidelines for media reporting on sexual abuse.
Organize a conference and disseminate the results via a final report.

Long-term results of the project

Action against child sexual abuse is more effective
Survivors participate more in work and decision-making processes at different levels of society
Survivors experience positive effects of working on the issue
Non-profit, public and private actors have more established procedures for survivor participation in their work and decision-making processes
Media reporting of child sexual abuse is more ethical with a trauma-informed approach in interviews with victims

Current activities

In autumn 2024, the focus will be on finalizing guidelines, recruiting trainers and the expert group, and conducting risk analyses. In spring 2025, training sessions for the expert group will start and work on developing methods and guidelines for organizations will begin. The project will run from 2024 to 2027.

Contact project manager Sara Aarnivaara for questions or to provide input on the project.

* Survivor in this context refers to a person who has been sexually abused during childhood but is no longer a victim.

Links to support organizations