The PROMISE project aims to prevent the sexual abuse of children and youth through raising public awareness, implementing preventive measures, initiating amendments to the Criminal Code for more effective child protection, and improving the quality of services provided to child victims of sexual violence and their families. Special focus is placed on providing psychological and legal support, enhancing children’s mental health, and strengthening the capacities of parents and professionals to adequately support the child.
The project plans to: conduct educational workshops for children, youth, parents and professionals across Serbia; carry out media and social media campaigns on child sexual violence; conduct the research on the phenomenon of child sexual exploitation in sports, tourism and other sectors. Advocacy activities are also planned through roundtable discussions and conferences for professionals and government representatives to initiate amendments to the Criminal Code. The project includes strengthening the professional capacities of the Center for Missing and Abused Children to provide psychological and legal support to abused children and their families, as well as group support meetings for parents whose children have survived or are victims of some form of abuse and exploitation.
The project is implemented from September 2024 to August 2027 with the support of the INL program of the U.S. Embassy in Serbia.