In a historical and emotional event held this morning at the Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya’s Assembly Hall in Barcelona, the CSA Survivors – Science and Friendship Association was officially presented. This groundbreaking global network unites victims, survivors, and scientists in the fight against sexual abuse of minors. The association’s president, Cristina Pulido, shared her harrowing personal experience of sexual abuse as a minor, revealing the deep scars left by an experience that, decades later, still impacts her and those who support her: “I have suffered 23 years of Isolating Gender Violence by the perpetrator and his accomplices since I broke my silence.“. In her address, underscored the essential role of science in eradicating abuse and promoting solidarity networks that enable both healing and prevention: “This association is a very clear example of how the community is organising itself to prevent and act against sexual violence.
Pulido, who also leads the Diario Feminista, a feminist newspaper and conducts cutting-edge scientific research, emphasized the urgency of addressing abuse with a preventive and committed approach. In her speech, she highlighted the importance of overcoming Isolating Gender Violence and to ensure that the media does not contribute to the spread of hoaxes that promote this.
The event opened at 10:30 with a performance of the #MeToo University anthem by a classically trained soprano and clarinetist, setting a tone of respect and solidarity. The first person to speak was Rosa Codina, Deputy Director of Service Management and Resources for Attention to Gender-Based Violence
of the Department of Equality and Feminism from the Govern of Catalonia, who offered the institutional support to stand by the victims.
Secondly, Alicia Oliver from the European Network of Women Journalists advocated for ethical journalism, stressing the importance of ethical and responsible reporting to avoid re-victimization. She has also taken the opportunity to celebrate the creation of this initiative and emphasized the “vital importance of working collaborately in a network.”
Ana Burgués, director of the Daily27 newspaper and the event’s moderator, led a Q&A session that allowed attendees and journalists to delve deeper into the challenges and goals of this new network. One of the members of the audience asked how journalism could contribute to the cause, to which Pulido stressed the importance of “not collaborating with child abusers, who continue to re-victimise us”. Another member of the audience also wanted to share her experience as a survivor, thanking Pulido for her bravery and “offering collaboration to incorporate the voices of racialised women as well’.
The session concluded with an open invitation to join the cause and a reminder of the importance of initiatives like CSA Survivors – Science and Friendship, especially as we approach the International Day for the Prevention of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse on November 18.
The event, open to the public but with limited seating, brought together citizens, journalists, and professionals eager to support an initiative that, in Pulido’s words, will help “so that millions of abused individuals are never isolated, and so that those who seek support can find it through this network, grounded in scientific evidence that tells us we must eradicate Isolating Gender Violence.”
