Supporting Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Project

Increased news coverage and awareness of child sexual abuse (CSA) has led states to take action to afford victims new or expanded rights. Over 20 states have amended their civil and/or criminal statutes of limitation (SoL) for CSA through Child Victims Act (CVA) legislation. This has created expanded opportunities for survivors to access justice, sometimes regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred. CVA laws have expanded opportunities for survivors to access justice, but far too many survivors of CSA are not aware of their rights. Given that most survivors of CSA do not disclose the abuse until adulthood, it is critical to reach individuals who now have expanded rights under the law. All survivors of CSA will benefit from timely, accurate, and engaging information and resources about CVA, new laws and victims’ rights, and available services. However, given the unique dynamics and impact of CSA on male survivors, it is particularly important to reach male survivors. Despite tremendous strides in making information and peer support more accessible and using technology to facilitate steps towards healing there are still countless unmet needs. Zero Abuse Project (Zero Abuse) will create a new technology resource for all survivors of CSA, and expand survivors’ access to direct and non-traditional services. Through the Supporting Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Project (Project), Zero Abuse will both create and expand technology services to improve resources and increase access to justice for victims of crime. The goals of the Project are to a) develop a survivor-informed website and mobile application to provide survivors of CSA with a clearinghouse of information, resources, and legislative updates, and b) provide multiple types of non-traditional victim services to survivors of CSA. Zero Abuse Project will 1) Develop a website and mobile application that allows survivors of CSA to access information and receive non-traditional victimservices; 2) Create and maintain comprehensive, trauma-informed multimedia content on the SurvivorSpace website and app, including at least 15 videos; 5 rotating survivor stories; 5 Q&A vignettes; infographics; resources, and an interactive CVA laws map; 3) Develop and provide five types of non-traditional victim services to survivors of Child Sexual Abuse via the SurvivorSpace website and mobile app; and 4) Conduct outreach and publicize SurvivorSpace to raise awareness of the resources and services available. SurvivorSpace will utilize advanced technological features to make the experience for users more accessible, survivor-centered, and customized. AI Chatbot technology, preferred-language content, and “choose your own path” videos will help users easily navigate information and resources, and identify the content most appropriate for what they are seeking.