On September 2, ISLA, the Hurma Project, and Maʿruf Commons brought together nearly 400 registrants for From Principles to Practice: Addressing Child Sexual Abuse in Our Schools & Communities.
The webinar marked the launch of Core Islamic Principles for Addressing Child Sexual Abuse, a new resource developed collaboratively by the Hurma Project, ISLA, and Maʿruf Commons. The conversation brought together Islamic scholarship, school leadership, safeguarding expertise, and practical guidance to address a difficult but necessary question:
What does it look like to take our responsibility to protect children seriously?
The answer is more than having good intentions. It requires knowledge, preparation, clear systems, and a willingness to act when something is wrong.
Protecting children is an amanah
The discussion began with a principle that is deeply rooted in our faith: children are entrusted to our care.
The concept of hurmah—the dignity, sacredness, and protection owed to every person—helps frame safeguarding as more than an institutional requirement. Schools, masajid, and other community spaces are places where children are entrusted to adults. That trust comes with responsibility.
Creating safe environments means asking difficult questions before a concern ever arises. Who has access to children? What boundaries are in place? Do staff and volunteers know what to do if a child discloses harm? Are parents comfortable asking questions about safeguarding? And does the institution have clear procedures to follow?
These are not questions we should wait to answer after something happens.
Good intentions need systems behind them
One of the clearest lessons from the webinar was that caring about children is not the same as having a safeguarding system.
Schools and organizations need policies and procedures that are understood before an incident occurs. Staff should not have to figure out what to do in the moment, particularly when the person involved is someone respected or trusted within the community.
The speakers discussed the difficult situations communities can face when concerns involve a religious leader, teacher, volunteer, family member, donor, or another person with influence. Respect, reputation, and community relationships cannot be allowed to take priority over a child’s safety.
Safeguarding also means understanding the difference between responding to a concern and investigating it. Schools and educators should know their reporting responsibilities and follow applicable requirements rather than attempting to determine for themselves whether an allegation is true.
Having a process in place helps institutions respond consistently and keeps the focus where it belongs: protecting children.
This responsibility belongs to all of us
Child protection cannot rest solely with school administrators or safeguarding professionals.
Parents need to know how their children’s schools approach safety. Educators and volunteers need appropriate training and clear boundaries. Community and religious leaders need to understand their responsibilities when concerns are raised. Children need age-appropriate opportunities to learn about safety and know where they can turn for help.
This is why practical resources matter.
ISLA’s Sexual Abuse Prevention Toolkit brings together materials intended for schools, educators, parents, children and youth, and community leaders. The toolkit is designed to help institutions move from a general commitment to child safety toward concrete practices and procedures.
Explore ISLA’s Sexual Abuse Prevention Toolkit
Take disclosures seriously
Another important part of the conversation was how adults respond when a child or adult discloses that they have experienced harm.
The responsibility is not to conduct an investigation or demand proof. It is to respond appropriately, prioritize safety, and understand what steps need to be taken under applicable reporting requirements.
This is also why preparation matters. As Dr. Ingrid Mattson emphasized during the webinar, adults should prepare themselves to receive a disclosure before one happens.
Children may disclose in ways we do not expect. They may delay telling someone. They may struggle to explain what happened. A response that is dismissive, skeptical, or focused on protecting an institution’s reputation can cause further harm.
Being prepared means knowing how to listen, how to respond, and where to turn for help.
Support for survivors matters too
Safeguarding does not end when an incident is reported.
The discussion also highlighted the need for survivors to have access to appropriate support. The effects of abuse can continue long after the original experience, and survivors may face additional barriers because of stigma, silence, or a lack of culturally responsive resources.
The webinar shared several resources that may be useful for individuals and professionals, including mental health support through Ruh Care and educational resources focused on safeguarding and survivor support.
Participants were also encouraged to explore Sameera Qureshi’s online, on-demand child abuse prevention course, which includes age-appropriate messaging across different stages of development.
Child Abuse Prevention Course by Sameera Qureshi
Keep learning and keep asking questions
The webinar was not intended to provide one resource that solves every safeguarding challenge. Instead, it was an invitation to keep learning and to make child protection part of the culture of our institutions and communities.
For those looking to continue that learning, the speakers shared additional resources, including safeguarding training from Darkness to Light, resources and videos from the Hurma Project, and Maʿruf Commons’ safeguarding resources.
Darkness to Light — Stewards of Children Training
Hurma Project Resources & Videos
Maʿruf Commons — Safeguarding Children
For those looking for the central resource introduced during the webinar, Core Islamic Principles for Addressing Child Sexual Abuse is available as a free digital download.
Download the Core Islamic Principles for Addressing Child Sexual Abuse
There is also a Child Abuse Reporting Hotlines Guide available for those who need information about reporting resources.
Child Abuse Reporting Hotlines Guide
Moving from principles to practice
Perhaps the most important takeaway from the conversation is that safeguarding is not simply about knowing that child sexual abuse is wrong. It is about what we do with that knowledge.
It means asking questions before there is a crisis. It means putting clear policies and reporting procedures in place. It means training the adults who work with children. It means creating environments where children can speak up and know they will be taken seriously. And it means making sure survivors have access to appropriate support.
Our faith calls us toward justice, dignity, protection, and accountability. The work before us is to make those principles visible in the way our schools, masajid, families, and communities operate.
Protecting children is an amanah. Moving from principles to practice is how we honor it.