Keeping Children Safe From Harm – taking action together

The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), in partnership with the Swedish Guide and Scout Council (Scouterna) organized a one-day Conference on Keeping Children Safe From Harm on the 1st of August 2011 at the backdrop of the 22nd World Scout Jamboree in Sweden.

The high profile international Conference was attended by many dignitaries starting with His Majesty the king of Sweden Carl XVI Gustav, who was there to support Her Majesty Queen Silvia, whose Childhood Foundation supported the Conference. Other participants (250 from over 75 countries) included Chief Commissioners of National Scout Organizations (NSOs), heads of Government and Non Government Organizations working with children and youth, Young Correspondents, World Scout Committee members, senior staff of the World Scout Bureau Central & Regional offices and invited guests.

The Conference programme included an initial plenary session with key speeches followed by a series of 11 parallel workshops presenting examples of policies, procedures and practices from within and outside of Scouting.

The key speeches in the plenary:
Helene Gestrin, President of the Swedish Scout and Guide Council (Welcome)
HM Drottning Silvia, Her Majestie Queen of Sweden (Opening address)
Dr. Susan Bissell, Chief of Child Protection at UNICEF (Keynote Address)
Luc Panissod, Secretary General of the WOSM (Keeping Scouts Safe From Harm – a global perspective)
João Armando Gonçalves, member of the World Scout Committee (Launching of the WOSM e-learning on Safe From Harm)