What is ECHO?
ECHO provides support for survivors of child sexual abuse material by:
Actively searching for and removing survivor’s imagery from circulation.
Supporting law enforcement to engage with survivors whose images form future investigations.
Increasing awareness of compensation options and supporting legal representatives to explore civil remedy.
Listening to the needs of survivors, supporting them and offering access to psychoeducational materials to enhance wellbeing and healing
Signposting to other support services where required.
ECHO does not provide ongoing one to one or group support for survivors or parents/carers, nor does it deliver therapeutic interventions.
This project is currently operating in the UK only. We have an ambition to expand ECHO to other countries to ensure that victims and survivors of child sexual abuse material globally receive the support they deserve.
I would like to say to survivors that every word you dare to speak and every tear you dare to shed leads to recovery.
The experience of sexual violence can change your entire worldview and identity forever, but it is possible to overcome it, and it is possible to learn to live with it.
Every moment spent in darkness leads closer to light, and every moment spent in safety leads closer to recovery.
Survivor of child sexual abuse
If you are a survivor of child sexual abuse material and you would like to find out more about ECHO Survivor Hub, please contact us below, whenever you feel ready.
How to access ECHO
For ECHO to support a survivor of child sexual abuse material, they must:
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Be residing in the UK
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Have reported their abuse to the police in the UK and have the initial investigation concluded.
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If under the age of 18, have parent/carer consent to access service.
If you are a survivor, or a parent/carer or professional supporting a survivor, and would like to access ECHO, please request contact below. After your request is received, the ECHO Survivor Hub Manager will contact you to arrange a time to talk through the support opportunities available.
The support we provide is confidential. We will not share what you tell us without your permission, unless we believe that you or someone else is at risk of harm or in danger. For information on how we manage and store your personal information, please see the ECHO Privacy Notice.
There is no expectation for you to make decisions about support during your first contact. You can take time to think about what feels right for you. You may also decide that ECHO is not the right service for you, and that is completely ok.
Why does ECHO exist?
Drawing on our professional and academic expertise, alongside direct engagement with survivors, we have identified significant gaps in support for survivors of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) whose images have been uploaded and shared on the internet:
Survivors of CSAM often have no control over the continued circulation and redistribution of their abuse images.
The repeated sharing of this material can result in ongoing trauma and re-traumatisation, often persisting many years after the original abuse.
When individuals are prosecuted for possession of CSAM, survivors are rarely informed. Survivors are therefore not given a voice within the criminal justice process, are unable to access their rights under the Victim’s Code and are often unaware of the outcomes of prosecutions.
Survivors miss the opportunity to pursue criminal compensation or civil remedies in relation to the harm they have suffered.
Survivors are unable to access the appropriate support to help them deal with the ongoing trauma of their abuse.
Victims’ and survivors’ voices and wisdom have been central to the development of this project, ensuring that services and support remain survivor‑centred and trauma‑informed.
ECHO Support Portal
Once you receive an access code from the Hub manager, you can log in to the ECHO Support Portal here.
The portal is designed for you to explore at your own pace. It offers information, peer support, and practical tools that other survivors have found helpful in their recovery.
The project is being delivered by a consortium comprising the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute, the Internet Watch Foundation, and Protect Children.
The project is funded by Safe Online and Graham Dacre Charitable Foundation.
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