2025 Edition
The Stronger Safeguarding Together 2025 conference, held on the 27th of February 2025, marked the first time this event was organised for international schools and related organisations across Hong Kong. The conference was attended by more than 150 delegates from a range of schools and organisations.
Past Speakers
Dr Jordan Greenbaum
Jordan Greenbaum, MD, is a physician and the medical director of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. She is a past medical director of the Stephanie Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Greenbaum is a board member of the International Society on the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) and a past president of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children.
During the keynote panel discussion, Jordan discussed the importance of key messages to convey when students disclose, and the pitfalls of well-intended, unhelpful responses. Jordan also discussed the culturally universal responses of blaming, shaming, linked with denial and fear.
Isabel Schilg, MCCJ, LL.B.
Isabel is a scientific associate at the Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine of Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Since June 2005, the Institute for Sexology and Sexual Medicine has been offering therapy places for people who have sexual fantasies directed at children but do not want to commit assaults and are looking for therapeutic help.
As a panellist, Isabel provided insights into the distinction between those with a sexual interest in children and those who sexually abuse children. Isabel highlighted the importance of national low-level anonymous supports as a successful preventative measure.
Taura Edgar
Taura Edgar is the founder and Board Chairperson of TALK Hong Kong, a non-profit organisation dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse and supporting survivors. As a leading expert on this critical issue, Taura’s work has been instrumental in bringing greater awareness and evidence-based responses to the widespread problem of child sexual abuse in Hong Kong.
During the conference, Taura presented on the wider statistics available on prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) in Hong Kong. As a keynote panellist, Taura spoke about the lived experiences of CSA survivors and linked it to the current research on this topic.
Dr Albert Chi-hang Yau
Dr Albert Chi-hang Yau is the Senior Research Officer at RainLily, a sexual violence crisis centre in Hong Kong that focuses on providing a wide range of support services to victim-survivors of sexual violence. After completing his doctorate in sociology in 2018, Albert joined the RainLily team and has been with them ever since. He has coordinated various research projects and published several reports related to different aspects of sexual violence.
During his presentation, Albert discussed key points from the study “Belated Listening, Delayed Healing”, including why disclosures are often delayed, how disclosures happen and what we can do to reduce the significant delay before someone speaks up.
Dr. Scarlett Mattoli
Dr. Scarlett Mattoli from Psynamo Group is a clinical psychologist, supervisor, lecturer, author, speaker and researcher, specialising in neurodevelopment, neurodiversity, addictions, families, positive psychology, and trauma, from research to assessment to treatment, and for ages five and up, across the lifespan.
During her presentation, Scarlett explained the additional challenges in working with autistic individuals when it comes to safeguarding and child protection. The varying degrees of impairment in the understanding of ‘self’ and ‘others’, as well as suggestions on how to help them feel more seen and safe were key takeaways from her session.
Anisha Ramanathan
Anisha is a partner in the divorce and family team of Withers Worldwide - Hong Kong. Anisha has significant experience in divorce and family matters.
During her presentation, Anisha discussed the importance of understanding custody and guardianship in family law, when it comes to safeguarding children. She discussed how does custody works in Hong Kong, including Care and Control, Access and Guardianship.
Lesley-Ann Harrison and Tom Woods
Lesley and Tom are both Deputy Principals at Victoria Shanghai Academy, and have been the Safeguarding Leads since 2019. Both have received intensive training by CIS and NSPCC, and Tom is a Board Member of the Global Safeguarding Collaborative.
During their presentation, Lesley and Tom discussed their safeguarding journey, the VSA rationale for annual staff training, what works well in their school, the providers they use to facilitate training, and additional resources/support available.