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Unesco chair on childhood maltreatment

Events

November 20, World Children's day: with Unesco chair we release an instagram carousel on children's rights, made with and for adolescents Link to Instagram caroussel on children's rights

September 3-5, in Tours (France): international conference on child maltreatment organized by Le Studium and by The Unesco Chair More information: https://www.lestudium-ias.com/events/early-life-adversity-and-neurodevelopmental-resilience-multi-disciplinary-perspectives

August 18-21, 2024: International congress of our Partner ISPCAN, at Uppsala, Sweden. Topic: Working Together in Times of Crisis

May 27-30, 2024: International Course on Child Abuse Paediatrics (CAP), Barcelon, Spain International course

Monday, June 19, 2023, 9:00 - 17:00 CEST UNESCO Chair on Childhood Maltreatment : Launch Conference in Italy
Wednesday, June 28, 2023, 13:00 - 14:00 CEST What is the impact of the developmental trauma? Risks and resilience mechanisms - Biological/psychosocial perspective

Videos

Articles

The child sexual exploitation pandemic (The conversation)

Clinical care of childhood sexual abuse: a systematic review and critical appraisal of guidelines from European countries (free article from Gabriel Otterman et al., member of the Chair)
Benign enlargement of the subarachnoid spaces and subdural collections—when to evaluate for abuse (from Pediatric radiology, free article from members of our chair)
Children of war: illegal displacement of Ukrainian children, Alina Goncharova

Defining child abuse

Abusive head trauma or shaken baby syndrome

Childhood sexual abuse : History of adversity in sex offenders

Child neglect and its consequences the contribution of studies on Romanian children

The effects of early adversity on brain development

View all publications

Research areas

Childhood is a sensitive stage in human life, and it is well established that the experience of early traumatic circumstances can have negative consequences. It can lead to an increased risk of mental illness such as persistent depression, which can end in suicidal acts or encourage violent acts in adult victims. Moreover, these consequences, which can lead to morphological and functional brain alterations as well as to affective and cognitive dysfunction that persist throughout the victim's life, can be passed on to the next generation through dysfunctional parenting. To break this vicious circle, the UNESCO Chair on child abuse focuses on the following research areas.

About the chair

Launched in 2022, this UNESCO chair is an international cooperation which encourage interdisciplinary dialog to share solutions to prevent child abuse and maltreatment. The aim of this project is to produce knowledge with research seminars to contribute to the evolution of the practice at a global level and also propose a compilation of self-paced online courses, pedagogic mini-conferences with self-assessment, and summer schools.
More information : What is a UNESCO Chair ?

She is supported by the University of Tours and led by Catherine Belzung. It involves experts from various disciplines (law, pedagogy, sociology, psychology, psychiatry, forensic medicine, pediatrics, and neurosciences) from the various cultural areas (North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe) as well as NGOs, to promote a dialog between academics and civil society.
Discover the members of the Chair