1.3 Survivor and youth engagement

1.3.1 National survivor councils

Government-supported national survivor councils strengthen legitimacy, improve policy design, and help build systems that are responsive, trauma-informed, accountable, and grounded in reality.

Two countries, Australia and Germany, have fully operational government-supported National Survivors Councils. Canada has a National Survivor Council run by survivors and independent from the government. France and the United Kingdom are in the process of setting up a Council. 

Indicator	What it measures	Why it matters	Score range
1.3.1 National Survivor Council	Whether the country has a government-supported council where survivors shape policy	Lived experience offers knowledge and context that no dataset can replace. National Survivor Councils improve both policy and accountability	0–2

1.3.2 Child engagement in national policy-making

Formal and recurring child participation pathways strengthen accountability and ensure prevention and response efforts reflect young people’s real needs.

More than a third of countries, including leaders in each region, have established formal mechanisms for regular child and youth participation in child protection or violence prevention policies. 

Nearly half have included children in ad-hoc or informal mechanisms. 

In 12 countries, no evidence of children's inclusion in decision-making processes related to violence was found.

Indicator	What it measures	Why it matters	Score range
1.3.2 Child engagement in policy-making	Whether formal mechanisms exist for children and adolescents to influence child protection or violence prevention policies	Children should have a voice in the systems designed to protect them	0–2

How to interpret your country's score

1.3.1 National Survivor Council (0–2)

0	No government-supported National Survivor Council exists, or no information is publicly available.
1	The government has committed to establishing a National Survivor Council.
2	A government-supported National Survivor Council exists, providing a formal channel for survivors to shape national policy.

1.3.2 Child engagement in national policy-making (0–2)

0	No formal or informal mechanisms exist for children and adolescents to influence national child protection or violence prevention policies, or information is not publicly available.
1	Informal or ad-hoc mechanisms exist, but they are not regular or well-documented; or a formal mechanism/body exists, but it is unclear whether children are engaged specifically on child protection or violence prevention issues.
2	Formal, recurring child engagement processes exist with structured opportunities for children to influence policy.

From indicators to budget lines

Use this as a guide to strengthen your advocacy requests and create targeted ‘asks’ to decision-makers within the right Ministry (for example: Foreign Affairs, Social Welfare, or Finance)

Indicator	What it tracks	Budget-line-to target	Template language
1.3.1 National Survivors Council	Whether a government-supported council exists where survivors shape policy	Lead ministry for child protection / social welfare: council establishment, operational costs, secretariat support, participant stipends	“Ensure budget allocation for the establishment and sustained operation of a National Survivors Council, including honoraria for council members, secretariat support, training, meeting costs, and mental health support.” NSC Establishment Guidelines pg. 10.
1.3.2 Child engagement in policy-making	Whether formal mechanisms exist for children to influence child protection policies	Ministry of Social Welfare / Youth: child participation mechanisms, youth advisory bodies, consultation processes	“Allocate [amount] to establish and maintain formal child and adolescent participation mechanisms in national child protection policy-making, including age-appropriate consultation processes.”

How to put a number on your ask

Break your ask into building blocks a Finance Ministry would recognize. Even a rough component-based estimate signals seriousness:

Indicator	Examples of components to estimate
1.3.1 Survivors Council	Secretariat staff (1–2); quarterly meetings; council member honoraria; secretariat support; travel and accommodation; safeguarding provisions, including mental health support
1.3.2 Child engagement	Youth advisory body operations; age-appropriate consultation design; facilitator training; child-friendly materials

Advocacy tools

View all

Advocacy tool

February 2, 2026

Fact sheet: Governance and accountability

Advocacy tool

March 27, 2026

Finance advocacy: Governance and accountability

Advocacy tool

March 27, 2026

Meeting toolkit

Advocacy tool

March 27, 2026

Email templates

Share your story

Share your experience, research, and success stories using the Index in your work!

Share your story

Third Richest Nation

www.bravemovement.org/campaigns/third-richest-nation

A world without childhood violence would be $7 trillion richer. This nation isn’t real. Its wealth could be. Brave Movement's survivor-led advocacy campaign at the G20 in 2025 pressured decision makers to invest in prevention, healing and justice to create stronger, happier nations.

#BeBrave G7 Scorecard 2025

www.bravemovement.org/g7

By evaluating each G7 nation’s progress on vital policy measures we're drawing global attention to the global, silent pandemic of sexual violence against children. This is a crisis that undermines the G7's commitment to building secure, prosperous, and equitable societies. Kids need bold leadership and decisive action now to be safe and thrive.

Break the record

www.togetherforgirls.org/en/press/a-record-breaking-event-now-governments-must-deliver

We broke the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ for the most countries represented at a childhood violence summit! With 120 governments attending, this first ever Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children was the largest organized event to address this issue on a global scale. Most importantly, as a result, we also broke the world’s record of inaction against childhood sexual violence.