Prevention of sexual abuse against children and young people on the example of the Child Protection Centre in Kraków

The aim of this article is to present the activities of the Child Protection Centre (COD) in the field of protection of children and adolescents from sexual abuse. COD is an interdepartmental unit operating at the Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow. The primary tasks of COD include training and educational activities in the psychological, pedagogical and spiritual fields on the subject of CSA, and the design and development of prevention programmes and models of good practice for various pastoral, formative and educational environments. The Child Protection Centre focuses on preparing and building structures for the effective implementation of the policies for the protection of children and young people, and on working to change the awareness not only of the clergy but also of people associated with the Church. The activities undertaken by the Child Protection Centre focus mainly on universal prevention, the basic aim of which is to stop potential perpetrators from harming children and to protect children – potential victims – from abuse.