Our Collective
Experience
Project
Integrating the wisdom
of adults with lived
experience to prevent
child sexual abuse now.
“Every story of survival is different.
Uniquely devastating, but also uniquely powerful in its
capacity to change the world, when it is heard.
As people with lived experience of child sexual abuse,
we are asking you: hear us now, and act now.”
Emma Hakansson, Survivor and Child Protection Advocate
As survivors, we know what could have helped us, we know what hurt us.
Efforts to protect children from abuse which do not centre the wisdom of people who were abused as children themselves are fundamentally limited in their effectiveness.
‘Emma’s Project’ was always the temporary name for a much more collective effort for the protection of children, guided by the shared wisdom of survivors of sexual abuse during childhood.
After having read every single word from every single person who responded to our survey – three times over – we have a roadmap forward.
It is with pride that we share our survivor-renamed Our Collective Experience Project, and our first report from it: Hear us now, act now.
We encourage you to download, read and share this report with people you know who may be interested in the protection of children. The content of the report which includes extensive quotes from survivors is very powerful.
But also be aware that it may affect you as you read it. Seek out support if you find that it makes you feel distressed or upset. There are helplines in the report itself.
Help us protect children today.
Our new campaign pushes the Government – first in the state of Victoria – to include mandatory education on child sexual abuse and how it can be prevented, within the Working With Children Check program. It is a simple change that can have a very big impact in promoting the safety of all children.
Many survivors in our survey said they wished that adults around them had noticed signs they were being abused, knew how to speak to them, or responded to a disclosure of abuse with compassion. Many said that adults failed them in ways that meant the abuse was able to continue to occur, unchecked.
Your message to the Ministers who can change this will support our calls.
Every child has adults in their life with a Working with Children Check.
All children and young people deserve this Check to be meaningful and effective in keeping them safe. Here, you can find more information about the education we are asking for.
Need support?
If you are aware of a child who is being abused and is not safe, contact the Child Protection Services in your area or ring 000.
If you or someone you care about is living with the effects of sexual abuse and violence, there is information and support available. Visit the BlueKnot Foundation or ring them on 1300 657 380. You can also contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
Child sexual abuse is a serious crime with significant life course consequences.
The statistics are horrendous.
“I wish adults protected me…
I wish they saw what was happening to me…
I wish they were educated themselves.”
Survivor and survey respondent
Key report findings
At its heart, the problem of child sexual abuse is for adults to solve – not children.
This video presents the key findings from the report, which support our call for mandatory education on child sexual abuse and how it can be prevented within the Working With Children Check program.
A Project
beginning
with Emma.
“There is a lot of scar tissue on my heart, and there are a lot of people walking around with the same scar tissue on their hearts – there are a lot of people who have survived child sexual abuse.”
Emma Hakansson, Survivor and Child Protection Advocate
Emma Hakansson is a young adult who was sexually abused when she was a child.
Emma is driven through her own experience to make a difference for children who may be suffering abuse today and to make sure they are understood and protected.
This project has been inspired by her courage and determination.
Emma approached the Australian Childhood Foundation in 2016, offering her knowledge and wisdom to help develop a survivor-informed community education program.
The aim is to give adults a clearer understanding of what they need to know and do to keep children safe from sexual abuse.
Emma’s story is powerful and deeply moving. Like many survivors of abuse, Emma’s lived experience gives her unique insights into what could have helped stop the abuse when it was occurring.
She also knows what could have been done to support her more after the abuse was discovered.
Emma is clear that survivors of abuse and their friends, families and supporters have so much to contribute in developing more effective ways to keep children safe.
Key Milestones
In 2022, Emma shared her story, in her own words.
Music by Edvard Hakansson. Videography by Saxall Video & Animation.
Get involved
There are many ways for anyone to be involved.
You can spread awareness by sharing this campaign on social media or lending your voice to the Project by emailing the Ministers who can drive this change.
You can also help promote the resources in your community when it is the right time.
Stay up to date with Our Collective Experience Project in the media.
Need support?
If you are aware of a child who is being abused and is not safe, contact the Child Protection Services in your area or ring 000.
If you or someone you care about is living with the effects of sexual abuse and violence, there is information and support available. Visit the BlueKnot Foundation or ring them on 1300 657 380.
You can also contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.