News

Last month I had the privilege of representing the Marie Collins Foundation (MCF) at the ECPAT Taiwan International Conference on Preventing Sexual Exploitation of Children. The event marked the 30th anniversary of Taiwan’s Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act, bringing together international experts, practitioners, and advocates to reflect on progress made and the challenges that remain. 

I was invited to speak on a panel exploring how we can build systems that are truly victim-friendly and centred on survivors’ needs. For me, this was an important opportunity to share my perspective as both a survivor of technology-assisted child sexual abuse and as Head of Advocacy at MCF. I spoke about the importance of trauma-informed responses and our core principle of “do no further harm” - ensuring that children are protected without being retraumatised by the very systems meant to support them. 

It was encouraging to see how much progress has already been made in Taiwan. Children are no longer seen as “at fault” or institutionalised as they once were, and there is clear commitment to victim-centred practice, from shelters adapting services to support children through testimony, to professionals re-examining the language they use so it does not perpetuate blame. There are also ambitious efforts underway to strengthen child-friendly justice through models that reduce repeated questioning and secondary trauma, closely aligned with the approaches MCF champions. These developments reflect a shared determination to put children’s rights and dignity at the heart of safeguarding systems. 

The theme of language was particularly important to me. Several speakers highlighted how terminology shapes the way victims are seen and treated, and I was glad to connect with Dr Miriam Liu, who has been championing this work in Taiwan for many years. Our conversations reinforced how much common ground there is in wanting to ensure the words we use protect children’s dignity and avoid blame. This feels like an exciting area for future collaboration and shared learning. 

What really resonated with me were the presentations from Professor Michael Salter and Pat Branigan. Their insights on perpetrator dynamics, harmful sexual behaviour, and prevention reinforced my belief that we cannot treat child sexual abuse as an isolated criminal justice issue - it is a global public health crisis that demands a coordinated public health approach. Prevention, early intervention, and systemic change must be at the heart of how we respond. 

For me, the conference reinforced the importance of ensuring that survivor voices are embedded at every level of global child protection responses. Being able to contribute lived experience perspectives in an international forum helps ensure that systems are not just designed for victims and survivors, but with them. 

MCF’s participation in spaces like this strengthens our international visibility and influence, builds connections for future collaboration, and keeps our core message front and centre: every child deserves to be safe, and no survivor should ever be harmed again by the response to their abuse. 

Helpful Resources from MCF
 

Click: Path to Protection Training
Our specialist training helps professionals with trauma-informed, victim-centred responses to Technology-Assisted Child Sexual Abuse.
👉 Learn more

Victim Blaming Resource
Words matter. Our Victim Blaming resource explores how language can inadvertently shift responsibility onto victims rather than perpetrators, and how professionals can challenge this.
👉 Access the resource here