Rise Up Policy Forum

An international community of practice for governments, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners: connecting the dots, learning together, and doing better.

5 children die every day because of child abuse

1 in 5 girls and 1 in 7 boys is sexually abused

Over 1 billion children are subjected to violence each year

An International Community of Learning

Governments working on policy changes can be part of an educational forum to learn from one another, connect to ideas, tools and resources across practice and data to transform child protection systems.

• Foster a community of learning for countries and regions: bring together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, survivors and youth leaders at the annual flagship ISPCAN International Congress to co-create solutions and exchange best practices.

• Advance child protection policies: promote the development and implementation of effective, evidence-based child protection policies grounded in public health principles at local, national, and global levels.

• Integrate research and practice: encourage alignment of data and research with practical applications to inform shareable data-driven solutions and enhance accountability.

• Catalyze regional solutions: develop context-specific, scalable strategies that address regional challenges and support sustainable, community-led change.

• Resource maximization and sector collaboration: optimize use of resources and cross-sector collaboration to assist governments in child protection prevention and response.

Promoting a public health approach to ending child abuse and neglect

The ISPCAN Rise Up Policy Forum aims to help countries improve the foundations of child protection by advancing the six pillars of a public health and system-strengthening approach to preventing child abuse and neglect. Together these pillars form the basis of a strong child protection system.

These Rise Up public health pillars were created in conjunction with the CSO Forum, aligned with the Child Protection System Strengthening Framework for Action and launched at the Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Colombia in 2024.

Rise Up Policy Forum Policy Briefs

Rise Up to end child abuse and neglect through ongoing learning, cross-sector collaboration, practical solutions and system strengthening

The Vision

A world free from child abuse and neglect

The Goal

Create a community of learning, sharing and networking

Our Hope

Make child protection a winnable battle for all governments

This first ever Rise Up Policy Forum was opened by Jūratė Zailskienė, Lithuanian Minister of Social Security and Labour and Najat Maalla M’jid, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children. The CEO of ISPCAN, Pragathi Tummala, who envisioned and created this innovative new learning forum to accelerate progress in child protection and translate country pledges made at the 2024 Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children into action– set the tone for how we need to think and act differently.

ISPCAN boldly launched the Rise Up Policy Forum in Vilnius at the ISPCAN 2025 Congress, focusing the fourth day of the international gathering on solutions. The Forum was attended by 270 multi-sectoral experts including 63 government delegates, researchers, practitioners, NGOs, survivors and activists, funders and policy makers from 60 countries.

The Policy Forum aimed to accelerate progress in ending child abuse and neglect in a provocative new way by:

Promoting a preventative, sustainable public health and system strengthening approach to child protection.
Bringing together multi-sectoral perspectives and engaging governments in the community of practice and learning.
Focusing on practical implementation of efforts to end child abuse and neglect.
Creating an interactive forum for governments where open dialogue, strategic conversation and problem-solving can take place.
Fostering connection and capacity-building across and within nations to connect policy makers with researchers and practitioners.
Honestly addressing the real world challenges, sharing solutions and making child protection a winnable battle.

Be part of the Melbourne Congress Policy Forum, 27 August 2026

On the final day of the ISPCAN International Congress in Melbourne, governments, policy makers, researchers, public health agencies, NGOs and others working at country, regional and international level to end child abuse and neglect will convene to advance public health and system strengthening child protection solutions.

Proposals for sessions sharing practical solutions, breakthrough strategies, best practice and real world experience on the following themes are invited:

Country progress case studies presented by governments and their cross sectoral partner(s)
Asia Pacific regional child protection priorities
Critical current issues, including prevention of online/IT/AI facilitated child abuse and child protection in conflict and crisis settings
Investment case and cost/benefit analysis of child protection interventions
Best-practice examples of bringing together policy, research and practice to address a child protection issue
High impact/breakthrough strategies to end violence against children (ie. parenting support, safe schools and multi-sectoral child protection responses)
The role of faith and cultural communities in child protection
Development and experience of unique models of multi-sectoral coordination

All sessions should include government perspective, be interactive, and advance public health and system-strengthening approaches to child protection, addressing one or a combination of the six fundamental pillars of this approach.