About the Conference
Child protection has traditionally been viewed as a policy issue. "Bridging the Sciences: New Approaches to Child Protection" seeks to reframe the conversation as a public health matter, highlighting that child protection concerns are much more profound than a singular corrective action. The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) in collaboration with Childlight has commissioned a new and timely conference to discuss solutions to address this public health emergency. For more information on ICMEC and Childlight please see https://www.icmec.org/ and https://childlight.org/
June 2nd, (2pm-5:15pm)
June 3rd, (8:30am-4:50pm)
Registration is completely free and includes CME credits for those who qualify*
Click Here to register for Bridging the Sciences 2025 as a virtual attendee.
-Up to 8 CME credits available
Program Schedule at a Glance- Schedule Subject to Change
CME credit available*
Day 1- June 2, 2025
14:00-14:30 Welcome
14:30-15:10 Plenary: Prevalence of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Globally
15:10-15:50: Panel: Breaking the Cycle: Why Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) should be seen as a pandemic, to be treated as a global public health issue.
15:50-16:05 Afternoon Break
16:05-16:35: Plenary: The importance of multidisciplinary teams and approaches to addressing Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) in a U.S. context
16:35-17:15 Panel: Role of Governments in Preventing the Exploitation of Children. Education, prevention and wider engagement
Day 2- June 3, 2025
9:00-09:05 Welcome day 2
09:05-9:35 Plenary: “Hidden in Plain Sight”: Insight, Explanation and Influence
09:35-10:15 Panel: Discussion: Enduring Effects: How Child Exploitation Shapes Health, Behavior, and Life Opportunities
10:15-10:30 Morning Break
10:30- 11:00 Catalyzing Data 4 Change: case study and why public health interventions work?
11:00-11:40 Panel: Solutions at Scale: How to implement good practice: How can global organizations help frame CSEA as a global public health issue and scale up interventions that work
11:40-12:10 CARE.org talk
12:10-13:50 Lunch Break
13:50-14:30 Plenary: Efforts to prevent and remove Child sexual abuse material from the internet
14:30-15:30: Panel: Turning the Tech Tables
15:10-15:30 Afternoon Break
15:30-16:50 Workshop Sessions: Next Steps for North America and Beyond
16:50-17:15 Closing Remarks
Plenary Lectures:
The Prevalence of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Globally
“Hidden in Plain Sight”: Insight, Explanation, and Influence- Lancet Report on Violence Against Women and Children
The importance of multidisciplinary teams and approaches to addressing CSEA in a U.S. context
Discussion Catalyzing Data 4 Change: case study and why public health interventions work
CARE.org talk
Efforts to prevent and remove Child sexual abuse material from the internet
The conference will include 5 panel discussions.
-Topics includes:
-Why CSEA should be viewed as a pandemic
-Enduring effects of CSEA
-Role of government in prevention
-Solutions at Scale: How to implement good practice
-Turning the tech tables, how to prevent online CSEA
Speakers & Panelists Include:
Raymond Schinazi, Emory University
Gregory Fenves, Emory University
Bernadette Madrid, University of the Philippines
Debi Fry, University of Edinburgh
Katelyn Gray, Washington University St. Louis, Missouri, Social Service Office of Violence Prevention
Emilio Puccio, Secretary General, European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights
Michael Salter, University of New South Wales
Emmanuela Gakidou is the co-founder of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Elena Martellozzo, Co-Chair Violence Against Children
Xiangming Fang, Georgia State University
Afrooz Kaviani Johnson- UNICEF, Child Exploitation Expert
Sabine Rakotomalala, World Health Organization
Shara Barken, Chair of Pediatrics, Emory University
Carl Sharpe, Accenture, AI Expert
Kelvin Lay, Tech Facilitated CSEA Data Specialist, Childlight
Paul Stanfield, CEO, Childlight
Steven Kavanagh, Secretary General, ICMEC
Joyce Sepenoo, CARE.org
*Informed Horizons Education, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. and will award AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM to physicians who complete this program. In the development and presentation of the program, Informed Horizons Education, Inc. will adhere to all rules, regulations and guidelines of the ACCME, AMA, AAMC, FDA and OIG that govern the conduct of accredited CME activities. All scientific materials presented will be objective and show fair balance as to the range of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.
Estimated CME accreditation is eight credit hours. Subject to change with due to any program changes.