After months of preparations Child Focus, INHOPE's Belgian hotline, is happy to announce it will join the Arachnid Project with much enthusiasm and conviction! On April 1st Signy Arnason, Associate Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and Heidi De Pauw, CEO of Child Focus officially signed the collaborative agreement. If the Corona crisis allows it, Child Focus will kick-off the work with Arachnid as of June 1st and proceed with the training of their hotline team as soon as possible. Child sexual abuse does not stop at borders and requires an international, coordinated and streamlined approach. By joining forces with Arachnid Project, Child Focus further commits itself to stop the cycle of child abuse all around the world.

Aside from joining Project Arachnid, the Belgian Hotline is stepping up its work against child sexual abuse together with its partners. Therefore, Child Focus is further improving its operations by training new staff members, updating its website and Hotline reporting form, as well as lobbying the Belgian government to obtain the approval to contact ISPs directly to further support the federal police in their fight against child sexual abuse.