New EU funding to combat child sexual abuse

The Commission is making 16 million EUR available in a call for project proposals on preventing and combatting child sexual abuse.

What are the objectives?

The call for proposals reflects the priorities of the EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse, which announced a number of initiatives aiming to improve action on prevention, investigations and assistance to victims. The call focuses on two areas:

• improving prevention of child sexual abuse and assistance to victims. This priority aims to foster and encourage initiatives to reduce the incidence of child sexual abuse online and offline, including programmes for offenders and people who fear that they might offend, and to ensure that victims of child sexual abuse receive appropriate and holistic support.
• developing the capacity to effectively fight child sexual abuse online. The goal is to enhance the technical toolset available to detect, investigate and prosecute child sexual abuse.

To be eligible, proposals should aim to:

• Support initiatives aiming at prevention of child sexual abuse and assistance available to victims; or
• create and/or improve technical solutions that can help tackle child sexual abuse online (including through proactive detection by online service providers) or enhance the capacity of law enforcement and/or judicial authorities to investigate and prosecute these crimes.

When is the deadline for applications?

24 February 2022.

Who can apply?

The call is open for public bodies, non-profit entities and international organisations established in an EU country.

Not-for profit, public bodies and international organisations established in a non-EU state can apply as co-applicants (with an EU-located entity in the lead). Private profit-making entities can also apply as co-applicants.

What are the conditions?

• The proposals must be transnational (applicants from at least three countries), and must cover 24 months.
• The budget of proposals can range from 500.000 to 4 million EUR.
• Proposals focusing exclusively on raising the overall level of awareness on prevention of child sexual abuse, targeted at the general public, are not considered as relevant for funding under this call.
• Research proposals must have clear links to operational output to be considered as eligible.

How to apply?

To apply you need to submit your proposal via the Electronic Submission System of the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal by 24 February 2022.

For more information on the submission procedure, please consult the online manual or the Portal FAQ (for general questions).

For individual questions on the Portal Submission System, please contact the IT Helpdesk.

Non-IT related questions should be sent to the following email address: HOME-ISFec [dot] europa [dot] eu (HOME-ISF[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

In case of questions on the policy objectives of the call, please contact: HOME-FIGHT-AGAINST-CSAec [dot] europa [dot] eu (HOME-FIGHT-AGAINST-CSA[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

More Information:

• Call for proposals on the prevention of child sexual abuse, assistance to victims of child sexual abuse and tools to detect child sexual abuse online
• HOME webpage on the fight against CSA
• EU Strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse