This Scoping Report has been developed as part of the EU co-funded project “Applying Safe Behaviours: Preventing and Responding to Peer Violence and Gender-Based Violence Amongst Vulnerable Children and Young People,” (2025-2027) which is implemented by SOS Children’s Villages and Terre des hommes in Bulgaria, Italy, Kosovo, Romania and Sweden. Through the scoping activities, we sought to understand gender-based risks for children and young people in each of the project countries, and how their experience of peer violence can differ depending on their age and gender. The project is conceptualized through a socio-ecological model8 to GBV and peer on peer violence prevention and response, recognizing that violence is influenced by and impacts multiple levels of an individual’s environment—ranging from personal and interpersonal relationships to community and societal structures. Interventions are designed to activate protective factors across these levels, including capacity-building and awareness-raising for children, young people and the adults and professionals who care for and work with them, collaboration with community stakeholders, and advocacy for systemic policy change. By centring the needs and rights of affected individuals, especially children and youth, the project aims to contribute to a more integrated and sustainable response to gender-based peer on peer violence.

The Hidden Dangers of Everyday Online Platforms: Instagram, Youtube, Roblox, and Snapchat are platforms that are popular among today’s youth. PACT is proudly part of the End Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition, a network of allies who advocate for online safety. They recently hosted an eye-opening webinar exposing the hidden dangers of these platforms, featuring new research on Instagram’s teen accounts and a mother’s heartbreaking story of losing her daughter to fentanyl poisoning from a counterfeit pill obtained through Snapchat

“Building Safe Futures: Solutions to end childhood sexual violence” is a comprehensive evidence review highlighting what works to prevent and respond to childhood sexual violence in low- and middle-income countries

This course empowers frontline health workers to identify and provide appropriate support to children who have experienced violence.

We completely understand how overwhelming it can be to protect your children online. With all the apps and platforms out there, it’s tough to know where to even start. But, just remember—you’re not alone in this, and there are ways to help safeguard them while still letting them enjoy the benefits of being online. Protecting children online really is a multifaceted task, but by being aware, staying involved, and putting a few key measures in place, you can make a big difference.