Violence Against Children: Where Do We Go from Here?
This year, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Center’s own experts in the field. The conference explored the issue from multiple perspectives, highlighting violence against children as a societal challenge and focusing on the tools and approaches that can help make a meaningful difference for children exposed to violence.
The conference featured presentations by experts including Professor Ask Elklit and Associate Professors Maria Louison Vang, Sille Schandorph Løkkegaard, and Sarah Dokkedahl from the Danish Center of Psychotraumatology, all of whom provided valuable insights into violence against children. In addition, several poster presentations offered new perspectives and approaches to supporting children living with violence. Together, they contributed important knowledge about the issue and highlighted innovative approaches that may help create meaningful change for affected children.
Presentations
The day's speakers consisted of experts from the Danish Center of Psychotraumatology, each contributing knowledge from their respective areas of expertise. In total, the conference featured four speakers.Professor Ask Elklit provided an introduction, a historical perspective, and a status update on violence against children in Denmark. Associate Professor Sille Schandorph Løkkegaard introduced developmentally sensitive assessment and treatment of traumatized children. Associate Professor Sarah Bøgelund Dokkedahl spoke about physical and psychological violence in families and the treatment of individuals who perpetrate violence. Associate Professor Maria Louison Vang focused on the measurement and definition of violence and the consequences arising from these definitions.
The day began with a welcome speech by Associate Professor Maria Louison Vang, followed by the conference presentations. An overview of the presentations is provided below.
Measurement and Definitions of Violence and Its Consequences & Violence Against Children in Denmark: History and Current Status
Associate Professor Maria Louison Vang and Professor Ask Elklit opened this year’s conference with a focus on the measurement and definition of violence and the implications of how violence is defined and assessed. Professor Elklit complemented this with an introduction, a historical framework, and an overview of the current status of violence against children in Denmark.Maria Louison Vang, Associate Professor, Danish Center of Psychotraumatology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, and Senior Researcher at the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Odense University Hospital (OUH), Odense.
Ask Elklit, Professor, Danish Center of Psychotraumatology,, University of Southern Denmark, Odense.
Developmentally Sensitive Assessment and Treatment of Traumatized Children
Associate Professor Sille Schandorph Løkkegaard introduced developmentally sensitive approaches to the assessment and treatment of traumatized children.Sille Schandorph Løkkegaard, Assistant Professor, Danish Center of Psychotraumatology,, University of Southern Denmark, Odense.
Physical and Psychological Violence in Families and the Treatment of Perpetrators
Associate Professor Sarah Bøgelund Dokkedahl gave a presentation on physical and psychological violence in families and on treatment interventions for those who perpetrate violence.Sarah Bøgelund Dokkedahl, Assistant Professor, Danish Center of Psychotraumatology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense.
The conference concluded with a joint presentation by Professor Ask Elklit and Associate Professor Sille Schandorph Løkkegaard, who summarized the day’s key themes and thanked all those who contributed to and participated in the event. The conference also featured poster presentations with ongoing and completed projects related to children and youth.
A special thank you goes to the volunteers and student assistants, whose dedication and support were indispensable in ensuring that this year’s conference was well organized and ran smoothly.
The photo shows volunteers and student assistants from the Danish Center of Psychotraumatology.
If you are interested in obtaining presentation materials or slides from the conference, please contact us at psykotraume@health.sdu.dk