Civil Society

Civil society: a powerful voice for children’s safety online 

Governments and technology companies alone cannot end online child sexual exploitation and abuse—civil society is essential to achieving meaningful, society-wide protection. Civil society organizations within WeProtect Global Alliance play a range of crucial roles, from providing direct support to victims and survivors to advocating for stronger child protection laws and developing advanced tools to identify and prevent online abuse. 

To ensure that every member’s voice is heard, WeProtect Global Alliance has established membership reference groups that enable members to drive the global response, share best practices, and shape policy.  

Our Civil Society Reference Group, chaired by Guillaume Landry, Executive Director of ECPAT International and civil society representative on the Alliance’s Global Policy Board, meets twice annually to discuss challenges, share insights, and contribute to shaping the Alliance’s initiatives. 

By joining WeProtect Global Alliance, civil society organizations become part of a powerful, coordinated movement, amplifying their impact on a global scale. Together, we are forging a path toward a safer digital world for every child. 

It is a great honor for our Foundation to join such a prestigious alliance as WeProtect Global Alliance. To have access to international know-how and to be able to influence the shaping of global strategies to protect children from sexual exploitation is an extremely valuable experience for us. It is a recognition of the Foundation’s more than 30 years of work to protect children from sexual exploitation, including in the online environment.

Marta Skierkowska, Vice-president of the Empowering Children Foundation