International Safeguarding Conference 2025

Women of Faith, Women of Strength: A Safeguarding Conference

The next International Safeguarding Conference (ISC) will be held from 17 June through 20 June 2025 at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome.

The ISC is meant to be an event aiming at developing the best practices and improving the understanding of the related challenges, in order to enhance the Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults from abuse. The conference is attended by individuals from a range of backgrounds, including Church leaders, Safeguarding professionals, trauma specialists, academics, researchers and others who are dedicated to the prevention and tackling of abuse and the raising of awareness about Safeguarding issues.

The theme of the ISC 2025 will be "Women of Faith, Women of Strength", with an in-depth look at the specific issue of abuse and women from different perspectives.

The conference sessions will focus on: General Reflection on Abuse of Women within Society and Church (a systemic analysis of the abuse of women with discussions on data, the underlying causes, the growing public attention to the issue and the role of Safeguarding); Violence Contexts (contexts that are conducive to the development of violence, such as migration, human trafficking, war); Safeguarding by Women: Accompaniment of Survivors (examples of Safeguarding practices having women as protagonists); Case Studies (specific examples of abuse against religious women and adult women within the Church context).

As a conclusion to the sessions, a panel on Women and Men - Common Safeguarding Responsibility, will feature experts, both women and men, religious and lay, who will present their ideas and explore their shared responsibility.

As in 2023 and 2024 the conference will be concluded by an “Academic Day” with the main goal of creating a platform of exchange of experiences and expertise between researchers and practitioners.