INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE | CHILD ABUSE AND CHILD PROTECTION. SCENES AND SOLUTIONS

Date: 
24 March 2026 (Tuesday), 9.00-15.00 

Venues: 
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs, Vargha Damján Conference Hall, Building A, 6 Ifjúság Street (keynote presentations) 
Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs, Building M, 2 Rókus Street (parallel sessions) 

The event aims to explore the diverse forms of child abuse and the current challenges and possible solutions in child protection from academic and practical perspectives, paying special attention to the impacts of the online environment. Plenary sessions will feature internationally recognized experts who will address a wide range of current topics – from the role of reflectivity to combating online paedophilia, as well as issues related to the Hungarian child protection system and child protection in the virtual space. The afternoon programme includes workshops, parallel sessions, and a poster session, providing opportunities for professional dialogue, exchange of experiences, and the presentation of research findings. The event seeks to promote academic discourse, international cooperation, and the development of practical solutions for the protection of children. The languages of the conference are English, Hungarian, and Italian. 

Participation is free, but prior registration is required. 

Registration

PROGRAMME (.pdf version)

9.00 – 9.15
Registration 

9.15 – 9.30 
Opening speech Márta B. Erdős (Chair), Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs 

9.30 – 12.00 
KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS (Vargha Damján Conference Hall, Building A, 6 Ifjúság Street) 

9.30 – 10.00 
Walter Lorenz, Department of Applied Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, & Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy Child care and institutional betrayal – Trust as an essential social work principle (English) 

10.00 – 10.45 
Carlo Di Noto, Director and co-founder of Meter Association (Associazione Meter), & Head of World Observatory Against Pedophilia, Italy Pedophilia, child pornography, and child criminal exploitation: The digital and physical abuse of minors (Italian/English) 

10.45 – 11.15 
Coffee break 

11.15 – 11.45 
Gábor Szöllősi, Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs Child protection perpetuum mobile: Constantly reinventing the meaning of child abuse (Hungarian) 

11.45 – 12.15 
Dorottya Deák, Doctoral School of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University Responsibility in the online space – The roles of family, school, and institutional dynamics in combating cyberbullying (Hungarian) 

12.15 – 13.30 
Break

13.30 – 15.00 
PARALLEL SESSIONS (Department of Community and Social Studies, Building M, 2 Rókus Street) 

• SESSION 1. 
  Workshop 1, Room 316 (Italian/English): Don't fall into the net: Between opportunities and risks. Counteraction strategies for the safety of minors. The workshop is led by Carlo Di Noto, Associazione Meter. Chair: Cecília Klára NagyTószegi, Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs. The workshop is limited to a maximum of 30 participants.
• SESSION 2. 
  Workshop 2, Room 309 (Hungarian): Childhood traumas, adult responses: Recovery in the ACA community. The workshop is led by József Madácsy, Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs, with contributions from members of the ACA community.
• SESSION 3. 
  Session presentations, Room 308 (English): Child protection in changing social contexts. Chair: Zoltán Mitrovics, Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs.
  • 13.30-13.45 
    Zita Dombrádi, INDIT Public foundation; Faculty of Humanities, University of Pécs, Doctoral School of PhD in Psychology: The inner child as a resource
  • 13.45-14.00 
    András Szabó, Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs: Invisible vapor, visible risk: Child protection in the shadow of modern nicotine products
  • 14.00-14.15
    Róbert Rozgonyi, Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs: Epistemic trust and its protective role.
  • 14.15-14.30
    Julianna Boros, Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs: Presence and social work in rural areas
  • 14.30-14.45
    Zoltán Mitrovics, Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs: Placement Challenges in Child Protection
• SESSION 4. 
  Session presentations, Room 216 (Hungarian): Child protection in changing social contexts. Chair: Georgina Mucsi, Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs.
  • 13.30-13.45
    Katalin Kopf, Opportunity for Families 2005 Foundation: BBAPLUSZ-3.3.1-24-2024-00021: “Victim life paths – effective solutions from prevention to reintegration”
  • 13.45-14.00
    Brigitta McNeill, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pécs, Doctoral School of Demography and Sociology: Autism-specific school social work: focusing on prevention
  • 14.00-14.15 
    Márta B. Erdős, Department of Community and Social Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs: Policy makers' responses to childhood traumas of people who use drugs
• SESSION 5. 
  Poster presentations and professional discussions, Room 307 (Hungarian/English) Chair: Szabolcs Fekete 

15.00
Conclusions