0
+
CONNECT TOPROTECT
International Conference on Child Protection & Prevention of Violence
Organised by IASIS NGO
- 5-6/10/2026
- Athens, Greece
Our Event Starts In :
0 Days
0 Hours
0 Minutes
0 Seconds
Introduction About CONNECT TO PROTECT
1st International Conference on Child Protection & Prevention of Violence
Connect to Protect – Children & Youth at Risk Conference is an international forum dedicated to strengthening child protection and improving outcomes for vulnerable children, adolescents, and young people. Organised by IASIS NGO, the conference brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and organisations working across sectors to address the most pressing challenges affecting children and youth today.
Conference in Numbers
0
+
Speakers
0
+
Countries Represented
Conference Schedule
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
Our Speakers
Meet The Speakers
Connect to Protect 2026 brings together key stakeholders from across the global child protection community, including researchers, institutional leaders, and practitioners.
Discussions will focus on prevention strategies, child rights-based approaches, and safeguarding systems in diverse contexts.
CHOOSE A TICKET
Our Pricing Ticket
Regular Ticket
150€
All prices include 24% VAT!
- Full Venue & Programme Access
- Certificate of attendance
- Membership access - Community
- Badging: Name, Title, Org, Country
- Food & Beverages
- Coffee, tea, fruits, snacks, water, plus a light lunch.
Student Ticket
120€
All prices include 24% VAT!
- Full Venue & Programme Access
- Certificate of attendance
- Membership access - Community
- Badging: Name, Title, Org, Country
- Food & Beverages
- Coffee, tea, fruits, snacks, water, plus a light lunch.
AUSPICES & PARTNERS
Partners Advancing Child Protection
We are honoured to collaborate with academic and institutional partners working toward safer environments for children and young people.
With the support of leading public institutions, academic partners, and civil society organizations.
SPONSORS
MEDIA SPONSORS
We are grateful for the support of our sponsors and partners, whose contribution helps amplify our mission to create safer environments for children and young people.
What leading experts say about CTP Conference
In a world where so many children now grow up amid conflict, climate disruption, digital harms, and shrinking safety nets, the “Connect to Protect – Children and Youth at Risk” international conference in Athens offers a vital opportunity to refine... and perhaps even reimagine... how we connect across systems to protect those most at risk. Even in an age of polycrisis and fiscal austerity, the protection and care of children cannot be allowed to unravel. This moment demands that we put our minds together not only to prevent further erosion, but to trigger the opposite dynamic: renewed commitment, smarter cooperation, and more resilient child protection systems.
PANTEION UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCES, SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT, DIRECTOR of the ‘Restorative Justice and Mediation’ Lab, DIRECTOR of the Institute on Crime and Criminal Justice, EUROPEAN PUBLIC LAW ORGANIZATION, MEMBER of SPT, United Nations, Head of the European Region
Violence against children remains one of the most serious and preventable violations of human rights. In line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, effective prevention requires coherent and comprehensive national strategies that translate international obligations into sustained public action. By strengthening evidence-informed, rights-based policies, enhancing coordination across sectors, and ensuring that the best interests of the child guide all measures, States can move from formal commitments to meaningful and lasting protection. This conference will advance dialogue and cooperation in support of prevention-oriented national responses that safeguard children from violence in all settings.
Distinguished Professor of Social Welfare Zellerbach Family Professor School of Social Welfare | University of California, Berkeley
I look forward to meeting you in beautiful Athens where we will engage in a lively discussion about the role of children in charting their own destiny to secure their safety and well-being
Professor of Psychiatry Forensic Psychiatry National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School - President of the Hellenic Forensic Psychiatric Association
It is a pleasure to participate in the conference that gathers expertise from around the world and allows for discussion and exchange of views on topical issues about adolescence and parenting.
Professor, Department of Healthcare Studies, Director, Center for Childhood and Youth Studies, Policy Chair, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Salem State University
I am delighted to be a part of this wonderful conference and I am honored by the invitation. Stefanos and his team work very hard to make the world a better place by the healing work that they do. There is no greater investment than investing in the wellbeing of young people. It is a community obligation. Protecting and defending children's human rights in their provision, protection, and participation in society is admirable. Thank you for being a world leader to help us all to become more enlightened, aware, informed, and caring. I am looking forward to seeing you in Athens!
Professor in Psychology, Cyberpsychology Research Network (CRN), University Of Huddersfield, UK
By integrating behavioural science, policy, and frontline practice, we can build stronger, more responsive protection systems. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to a shared vision of prevention, resilience, and sustained impact.
Associate Professor In Psychology, Cyberpsychology Research Network (CRN), University Of Huddersfield, UK
Meaningful protection requires more than response. It demands prevention, collaboration, and evidence-informed action. We look forward to advancing this dialogue and strengthening collective efforts to protect children and youth globally.
Gelman Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA.
As we move quickly to care for our elders, we must not forget the children who will one day care for us—and who need us to show up for them now. I’m eager to interact with the many impressive people who will be joining this important meeting in Athens.
Project Manager at CESIE ETS and Coordinator of the SexSense Network
I’m very excited to be part of the Connect to Protect – Children & Youth at Risk conference and to meet many people who care about young people’s lives. Through the Bottom-Up Talks project, I’ve seen how comprehensive sexuality education can truly change lives - not just by preventing gender-based violence, but by helping young people feel confident, supported, and heard. It’s about creating safer spaces where youth can learn, share, and grow, and where their voices really matter. For me, this work is personal. It’s about listening, believing in young people, and walking alongside them as they become leaders of change. I can’t wait to share experiences, learn from you, and explore together how we can make schools and communities safer and more inclusive for every young person.
Professor at the Link Campus University Rome, Secretary General of the Universities Network for Children in Armed Conflict
I am deeply honoured to participate in the Connect to Protect – Children & Youth at Risk Conference and to contribute to this vital international dialogue on the protection of vulnerable children and young people. At a time when increasing numbers of children are exposed to armed conflict, displacement, exploitation, and trauma, it is essential that research, policy, and practice work together to strengthen prevention, protection, and long-term support mechanisms. I look forward to engaging with colleagues in Athens to advance meaningful, evidence-based responses that uphold the rights, safety, and dignity of children affected by violence and conflict worldwide.
Professor (Emeritus) in Human Development Flinders University
Dear ‘Connect to Protect’ conference participants. I am honored to be provided with the opportunity to present at this significant conference. The importance of the conference is nicely captured in its title. My presentation ‘Big Talks for Little People Digital Mental Health Program for primary Schools for Primary Schools: An International Program’ will highlight the importance of ‘connection’ for helping ensure the safety and wellbeing of young people in our schools.
Professor of Social Work, Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
I look forward to connecting with colleagues as we grapple with the myriad challenges facing our most vulnerable children. The scourge of drug and alcohol addiction on family life is a perennial problem; but it is made more urgent by the emergence of increasingly potent and lethal drugs. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and share with experts across the globe as we pursue the shared goals of child safety and wellbeing.
Associate Professor of Law, Faculty of Business, Law and Arts, Southern Cross University, Australia
Children’s rights – especially their right to participate meaningfully and safely in decisions about their lives – must become “business as usual” if we are to empower children and ensure their wellbeing. This is about building trust, and giving children a safe space and enough time to share their views, experiences and ideas. It is also about making decisions with, not only about, children. The collaborative research that I do with children who have lived experience of family violence and the family courts highlights just how much we can learn from children, if we are open to listening to and understanding them.
Harris Professor Emeritus of Child Psychoanalysis and Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; Former Co-Director, Yale Center for Traumatic Stress and Recovery, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University
As we join together to consider the risks to children’s development, we will also have an opportunity to learn from one another about the protective factors that have been applied to interventions and strategies that offer hope in the face of adversity. I am so looking forward from learning from you all.
VP of Global Communications & Co-Creator of Influenced™ The Exodus Road
The threats facing our children have largely evolved and migrated. Today, exploitation often begins not in a dark alley but in a direct message, a gaming chat, or a social feed. I'm honored to join you at this conference to explore how we can better understand, name, and disrupt the digital pathways that put children at risk, globally, and to learn from the remarkable practitioners and advocates gathered here who are doing the work of child protection each day.
Human Rights Lawyer; Founder & CEO, Defence for Children International – Greece; Vice President, Child-Friendly Justice European Network
Protecting children is a shared responsibility. This conference offers a meaningful opportunity to strengthen safeguarding, learn from one another, and confront the realities of violence affecting children. Most importantly, it calls on each of us to listen and act, so that every child can feel safe, respected, and truly heard.
Psychiatrist–Psychoanalyst; Emeritus Professor of Social Psychiatry, Panteion University; Honorary President and Founder, EPAPSY (Hellenic Association for Regional Development and Mental Health)
The contemporary mental health needs of communities in the post-COVID era, and in the period of multiple crises we are currently experiencing, require openness, innovation, integration, and the continued deinstitutionalization of our mental health services.
Director, GRIIT (Gender Equity Research and Inclusive Innovation in Technology) Network, Aston Business School, Aston University
It is a pleasure to contribute to this important conference at a time when safeguarding children in digital spaces has never been more urgent. As emerging technologies reshape everyday life, we need research, policy and practice to work together to prevent harm, strengthen protection, and build safer digital futures for children and young people.
Psychiatrist, Director of Department of Mental Health and Social Welfare, Institute of Child Health
There is currently a world-wide trend to regress regarding children's rights; children are often depicted as a threat to contemporary societies, requiring discipline and restraining, especially regarding their access rights to the digital world and information and communication technologies-this being done in a world of growing instability, war and inequality. However, societies afraid of their own offsprings are doomed: children's rights need to be enhanced and fostered, expanded and secured for increasing societies' future social capital.
PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Utah College of Social Work
I am excited to join you in Athens this October to explore one of the most complex challenges facing children and families today — the impact of substance use on child safety and wellbeing. I look forward to the diverse perspectives we will bring to this important conversation.
Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology
I look forward to connecting with scholars and policymakers thinking about how we can leverage data-driven insights to improve safety for children and bolster their opportunities for success.
Professor in Clinical Neuropsychology, Co-Director - Centre for Clinical Neuropsychology Research (CCNR). Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement – Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
I am very much looking forward to the Connect to Protect conference in Athens this October. For me, this isn’t just an academic gathering; it is a critical opportunity to ensure that earlier, better support systems—strictly aligned with the UNCRC—become a reality for children in Europe and across the globe. Our research at the University of Exeter has long highlighted how Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) acts as a 'silent epidemic,' often leading vulnerable youth into a 'revolving door' of social exclusion and the justice system. In Athens, I look forward to sharing how we can move from a culture of neglect to a 'Social Cure'—using a biopsychosocial lens to rebuild identity and protect children’s rights. What makes this event truly wonderful is the chance to learn alongside fellow practitioners, policymakers, and academics. By bridging the gap between clinical neuropsychology and international law, we can collectively transform how society supports neurodisability. Which is at the core of how, and why, children become, over their young life, even more at risk to exploitation and criminalisation. This is a moment to turn evidence into action, ensuring that every child has the right to be supported in their community and school, rather than criminalised by a system that doesn't yet see them.
MSc, Med, PhD, Postdoc, Associate Professor Department of Social Work, University of West Attica Chair, Society for Mental Health of Children and Adolescents (EPSYYPE)
As this initiative comes to Greece, we are inspired by the enduring spirit of PHILOXENIA, a deep-rooted commitment to openness, care, and human connection, bringing participants together and fostering knowledge, shared experience, and a common vision for a future in which every child and young person can truly thrive.
Her Excellency Ms Alison Joy Duncan, Australian Ambassador to Greece, Romania and Bulgaria
The relationship between social media and children’s mental health is one of the most important conversations of our time. It is important we ground these discussions in evidence and prioritise the best interests of the child from the start - equipping young people with essential digital survival skills to take advantage of the benefits and opportunities, while being attuned to the darker features, such as algorithmic manipulation, deepfake image abuse, and online grooming. I look forward to hearing from the Conference’s experts about how we can put in place responsible guardrails for our youth.
MD, PhD, Professor and Head, Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece; Center for Evidence Synthesis in Health, Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice, School of Public Health, Brown University, RI, USA
It is a great privilege to participate in the “Connect to Protect – Children & Youth at Risk” IASIS Conference. In a world where so many children grow up amid conflict, climate disruption, digital harms, and shrinking safety nets, achieving mental health-related development goals will be unmanageable for migrant communities without appropriate data and implementation of evidence-based policies.
President of GREVIO (Council of Europe), Governing Board member of the Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights
Children exposed to intimate partner violence too often remain the forgotten victims in family court proceedings -where maintaining contact at all costs, minimising violence, and failing to hear their voices remain persistent challenges. Through its monitoring work, GREVIO is shedding light on these issues and guiding states to place the safety of children and non-abusive parents at the centre of their response.
ECPAT International
ECPAT International is pleased to present our research highlighting the complex role digital technologies play in the lives of children on the move, serving as both essential tools for communication and navigation and as spaces where risks of exploitation can emerge. Our work underscores the need for more child-centred, practical approaches to digital safety in contexts of mobility.
ECPAT International
ECPAT International and ARSIS worked together to explore the digital lives of children on the move through participatory research, alongside insights from frontline practitioners and global experts. The study shows how children navigate digital spaces in ways that are both resourceful and risky, and highlights their calls for change, particularly the need to mainstream digital safety across humanitarian responses, alongside stronger safety-by-design in platforms and more accessible, responsive reporting and support systems that lead to real protection.
ARSIS - Association for the Social Support of Youth
As a clinical psychologist working with ECPAT and ARSIS, I am thrilled to share insights from our participatory research design. By actively involving children on the move in our process, we ensure their own voices and lived experiences directly shape the digital safety strategies that impact their lives.
Research Officer at the Swedish Agency for the Media
As media and technology move fast into the future, child protection becomes an ever more complex issue to grapple with. Therefore, I’m grateful for the opportunity to connect in Athens and discuss with others, equally committed to this pressing task.
Psychologist & Postdoctoral Researcher IASIS NGO, Research Associate, Restorative Justice and Mediation Lab, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences
The Connect to Protect – Children & Youth at Risk Conference was created as a space where research, professional practice, and public policy come together to improve the protection of children and young people at risk. Children today face complex and overlapping risks, including violence, neglect, mental health challenges, social exclusion, and digital harm. These challenges require child protection systems that are not only effective, but also humane, coordinated, and trauma-informed. While the world around children is constantly changing, the fundamental rights of children remain unchanged. The principles and spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child continue to serve as a stable and universal framework that guides our responsibility to protect, support, and respect every child. In times of social, technological, and cultural transformation, safeguarding these rights becomes even more essential. This conference brings together researchers, frontline professionals, policy makers, and civil society organisations to share knowledge, reflect on current practices, and explore better ways to protect children and youth. The goal is not only to discuss problems, but to support cooperation and practical solutions that place the best interests of the child at the centre. Connect to Protect aims to build stronger links between knowledge, practice, and policy, and to contribute to child protection systems that truly protect without causing additional harm.
CONNECT TO PROTECT INSIGHTS
LATEST UPDATES & NEWS
At Connect to Protect, we share research, real-life practices, and community actions that strengthen child safety and youth wellbeing. Explore our latest updates, events, and initiatives working to prevent violence and promote protection systems across Europe.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Connect to Protect – Children & Youth at Risk Conference is an international forum dedicated to strengthening child protection and improving outcomes for vulnerable children, adolescents, and young people. Organised by IASIS NGO, the conference brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and organisations working across sectors to address the most pressing challenges affecting children and youth today.
Contact Us
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
CONNECT TO PROTECT
© Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved
Philip D. Jaffé
Professor Emeritus, Vice-chair UN Committee on the Rights of the Child