ISC 2024

The International Safeguarding Conference (ISC) is an annual event designed to help people work together to protect 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 2024 ISC will focus on Safeguarding and Disability, aiming at an approach that puts people with disabilities at the center of discussions, addressing issues related to Safeguarding from their specific perspectives.

Three conference sessions will focus, respectively, on A Cultural Approach to Disability (according to different geographical and social contexts); Belonging within the Church (on acceptance and participation by people with disabilities in the Church life) and Reporting and Communication (on difficulties encountered by people with disabilities to recognize and report possible abuses).

In addition to that, a separate session focusing on the deaf community will be held by The Deaf Catholic Youth Initiative for the Americas (DCYIA).

As in 2023 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.

The programme will also feature the theatre play “Pardon”, in the evening of 18 and 19 June. The autobiographical play by author and actor Laurent Martinez provides a unique opportunity for a survivor to share his story of suffering through art.