The Eastern European Child Abuse and Child Mental Health Project (“EE Project”) was initiated in 1995 as a joint effort between the Open Society Institute (OSI) and Turnaround for Children to address issues of child abuse and neglect in a culturally sensitive way. The EE Project provided financial and technical support to practitioners and non-government organizations (NGOs) in Eastern Europe interested in responding to the problem of child maltreatment.

The EE Project’s accomplishments include:

• Developed multidisciplinary NGOs focused on the problem of child abuse and neglect. This was achieved through outreach efforts and collaboration with governments and social service agencies in twelve countries throughout Eastern Europe.
• Increased public awareness of child abuse and neglect through publications, national media campaigns, and the work of regional community-based organizations.
• Trained professionals in Eastern Europe on ways to effectively deal with child maltreatment by providing mentoring and training for Eastern European mental health professionals.
• Developed referral networks designed to provide support and effective assessment and treatment through collaborative efforts with government agencies and NGOs.
• Facilitated social and legal reform around issues of child abuse and child mental health by establishing definitions, legal recognition, and mechanisms for accountability that hold perpetrators responsible for their actions.
• Integrated Eastern European child abuse professionals into professional networks by connecting them with international groups that address problems of child maltreatment and by including them as members in key professional organizations.
• Developed the CANEE website which serves as an interactive center for professionals working in the field of child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment in Eastern Europe.

Twelve countries participated in the project: Albania, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Russia, and countries comprising the former Yugoslavia.