Description: The SALVUS (Ensuring SAfer justice outcomes in onLine and undercoVer child sexUal abuse inveStigations) Project seeks to address the current gaps in knowledge, best practice and legislative frameworks in relation to online, including undercover, CSA investigations and build on this and existing knowledge to develop a holistic suite of innovative, recommendations, best practice guidance and training to remedy regional and national shortcomings. This approach will explore how to harmonise European Law and enable a uniformity of practice for the collection of evidence in CSA online, including undercover investigations, in line with European values and fundamental rights. The European harmonisation of legal approaches and standardisation of best practice for the collection of evidence will ultimately enhance sharing of legally obtained evidence across member states, reducing the reliance on national standards of evidence admissibility and will compliment and strengthen the EU’s approach and strategy for challenging and prosecuting CSA crimes and the new Regulation on production and preservation orders for e-evidence.
The over-arching aim of the SALVUS project is to provide research-based knowledge and understanding of CSA online and undercover investigations and their relationship to obligations to ensure the legality of evidence collection, developed from a child-centred and human rights core. The project’s outputs will help responsible agencies to develop regional legislative frameworks for the collection of evidence in these cases and provide a European Guidance of best practice in CSA investigations for the collection of evidence in online and undercover cases; aiding law enforcement authorities, forensic institutes, and policy/law-makers to ensure safer justice outcomes.
Promotors: Rosamunde Van Brakel
Researcher: Ingrida Milkaite and Birte Lenaers
Partners: Trilateral Research Limited (IE), Universiteit Gent (BE), Sisaministerio (SM) (FI), The Police Foundation (UK), Ministerio De Justicia (PT), Kriminalisticko-Policijski Univerzitet (RS), Police Federale Belge (BE), International Center For Missing and Exploited Children (CH), Diktio Gia Ta Dikaiomata Tou Paidiou EL, Aston University (UK), Fundacion Centro Technoloxico De Telecomunicaces (ES) and Trilateral Research LTD (UK)
Funding: Horizon Europe
Duration: 36 months (1/06/2025 - 31/05/2028)