Preventing and responding to sexual violence with children and youth requires informed, child-centered approaches that prioritize children’s power and agency.
The Learning Network and Knowledge Hub are pleased to share a new bilingual Brief, Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence: Centering Children’s Power and Agency in Practice, guest-authored by Jessica Martin and originally written in French.
This Brief offers a reflection-based, practice-informed approach to preventing and responding to sexual violence in ways that restore power to the child. Grounded in the work of Marie-Vincent, a Québec-based organization that supports children and adolescents who have experienced sexual violence, it shares guiding principles, concrete examples, and relational strategies that practitioners and caregivers can adapt in their own contexts.
Through the story of “Lily,” a fictional, practice-informed narrative developed for learning purposes, the Brief illustrates how prevention and intervention strategies can be applied in real-world situations, emphasizing the role of trusted adults, coordinated services, and environments that support safety, disclosure, and healing.
Available in English and French.