What support is available for children and young people who experience sexualized online violence? What specifically helps them? What obstacles stand in the way of effective support? A research team at the FHNW is investigating these questions.
The project “Child protection and professional support in cases of sexualized online violence in Switzerland (KISO)” is currently being carried out at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). The research team explains the aims of the project in an interview. The following experts with a focus on child protection at the Institute for Child and Youth Welfare at the FHNW School of Social Work answered the questions together: Prof. Dr. Rahel Heeg, applicant and project manager, Prof. Dr. Kay Biesel, applicant and project manager, Dr. Clarissa Schär, project coordinator and research assistant, and Aline Schoch, lic. phil., research assistant.
You are implementing the project Child Protection and Professional Support for Sexualized Online Violence in Switzerland (KISO) at the FHNW. What questions do you want answers to?
Our project examines how well the child protection system in Switzerland supports children and young people who have experienced sexualized online violence. We are particularly interested in what concrete help they actually receive, how they experience this support and what they would wish for in addition. We also look at how affected children and young people seek help in the first place and what obstacles they face in doing so.
Why do the project team and the Swiss National Science Foundation, which is supporting the project, want answers to these questions?
Sexualized online violence against children and young people is a serious problem that can cause great suffering for those affected and their families. It takes many forms: from sexual harassment and insults on the internet to the unsolicited showing or sharing of sexual images to sexual blackmail or even sexual abuse in an offline context. The assaults can come from both adults and peers. Despite the growing importance of this topic, we still know too little about what support affected children and young people actually need and what help they receive from the child protection system in German-speaking Switzerland. This is precisely where our project comes in.
How do you approach the issues in the project team?
The project team works with qualitative research methods and interviews with two target groups. The procedure was ethically reviewed. Firstly, we conducted interviews with professionals from various areas of the child protection system, including victim support workers, school social workers, social services and child and adult protection authorities. These interviews provide us with an overview of case practice: What forms of sexualized online violence do professionals encounter in their work? What specific needs do the children and young people concerned have? How do the professionals deal with this and which other agencies do they work with?
And what is the second group with whom you conduct interviews?
Secondly, we interview 10 to 17-year-old children and young people who have experienced sexualized online violence themselves and have subsequently received professional help. The focus is on their subjective experiences: How did they perceive the help they received? What specifically helped them? How did they go about seeking support and what obstacles did they encounter? We are currently at the beginning of the survey phase with the professionals.
How do you experience the willingness of the experts to work on the project?
The willingness to participate in the project is pleasingly high. The response to our interview requests has been very positive across the board. All the experts we have contacted so far consider the topic to be important and urgent and welcome our study. This is also reflected in the fact that we have been able to arrange numerous interview appointments in a short space of time. We are looking forward to the valuable insights that the experts will give us into their work and are delighted with the great commitment shown by all those involved. This positive reception of the project underlines the high priority that the topic of sexualized online violence against children and young people has in professional practice.
When do you expect the first results?
The interview surveys with both target groups will take around a year, and we are already starting to evaluate the interviews conducted at the same time. We expect the first results in the course of 2027.
How should the results be used?
The findings from the interviews with professionals and children and young people will help us to identify weaknesses and areas for improvement in the child protection system. On this basis, we will develop practical tools for professionals, supported by an advisory group of experts from various organizations. For example, brochures, guidelines, instructions or checklists for dealing with children and young people who have experienced sexualized online violence. These tools are intended to help professionals identify sexualized online violence at an early stage, offer effective support and assess when specialist advice centres should be called in. This will enable them to provide even more targeted support and protection for young people affected.
Further information on the project KISO – Child protection in cases of sexualized online violence:
https://kindeswohlabklaerung.ch/projekte/kiso-kindesschutz-bei-sexualisierter-onlinegewalt/
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At night and at weekends, the number is operated by Dargebotene Hand beider Basel.
The Dargebotene Hand provides basic counseling and, if necessary, refers the victim to the day service for counseling.
Victim Support beider Basel is available 24/7
Tel: +41 61 205 09 10
