A child receives an unsolicited image.

A teenager is pressured into sharing a photo.

A young person is threatened, manipulated, or coerced by someone they met online.

In each of these moments, the instinct is the same: to search online, silently, for answers. A new European platform called Help4U is there waiting.

Launched by Europol in partnership with the Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research (CENTRIC) at Sheffield Hallam University, Help4U was developed to support children and teenagers facing sexual abuse or online harm. It is designed to be simple, private and accessible, helping young people find trusted advice, understand their rights, and connect with people who can help.

Cyprus has been part of the platform from early in its development and on Thursday June 18th, 2026, at a conference hosted by child protection organisation Foni in Nicosia, Anton Toni Klančnik, Strategic Specialist in Child Protection at Europol, addressed participants with a message he urged every person in the room to carry home: spread the news.

What Help4U is

Help4U is a digital platform designed to centralise protection and support for children and young people facing sexual violence and online harm. Developed to make help accessible, clear and safe, it provides direct assistance to victims and guidance for those who support them.

The website offers practical advice, resources and information on how to seek help, empowering children and teenagers to take the first step towards safety and recovery. The platform is available at help4u-project.eu and is free, anonymous and built for anyone under 18. It also provides resources for parents, teachers and professionals who may be supporting a child in distress.

What sets Help4U apart is its strong focus on accessibility. The platform lets young people choose how they want to receive support, whether by reading, chatting, or locating a nearby service.

All content is written in clear, age-appropriate language so it is easy to understand and use. This last point is not a small detail. For young people who have been victimised, the search for help can feel overwhelming, especially when they are distressed, feeling vulnerable or unsure where to turn. Many may not feel ready to speak to someone directly and will first look for information online. Providing accessible, accurate resources at that moment is crucial: it empowers them to take the next step towards getting the support they need.

Who developed it and why

Help4U was developed through a partnership between Europol and CENTRIC, representing a coordinated European attempt to create a single, trusted gateway for young people seeking help. The initiative forms part of the wider European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) cycle, the EU's core strategy for tackling serious organised and international crime.

The inclusion of Help4U within this framework underscores the gravity with which European authorities view online sexual abuse, positioning it not just as a social issue, but as a critical target for coordinated intelligence, strategic and operational cooperation. Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle described the platform as a "tangible example of how European cooperation can make a real difference for victims." The platform, she said, gives children and those who protect them clear, reliable information and access to help when it is most needed.

Help4U was developed in close collaboration with experts from psychology, education, IT, data protection, law enforcement, and academia. By uniting national efforts under one platform, Help4U strengthens Europe's response to online sexual abuse and ensures that support reaches those who need it most.

How the platform works

Help4U offers multiple ways for a young person to engage, depending on what they are comfortable with. They may read practical information at their own pace, use a built-in chat function to ask questions, or locate the nearest support service in their country. All pathways are private. None requires a young person to identify themselves before they are ready.

The platform consolidates support and facilitates a clearer pathway toward reporting and accountability, even if a young person's initial interaction is with a counsellor rather than a police officer. It also connects young people directly to trained professionals who can listen, advise and guide them towards safety and recovery.

The types of online harm the platform covers include manipulation and catfishing, sexual extortion and blackmail, unwanted sharing of sexual images, harassment and grooming. Offenders are increasingly using AI-generated deepfake images and videos to coerce or manipulate children, while financial sexual extortion has surged, a situation in which minors are pressured into sharing intimate content and then threatened with public exposure unless they pay money.

Help4U was built precisely to reach young people facing these threats before they feel they have no options left.

Cyprus: part of it from the start

Help4U began as a pilot project between Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia, and has since expanded to also include Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Romania, with more countries expected in 2026 and beyond.

Cyprus's participation reflects the substantial child protection architecture already in place on the island. Foni, meaning "Voice", is the non-profit organisation that serves as the council responsible for Cyprus's national strategy for combating child sexual abuse and exploitation.

As the programme for Thursday's conference made clear, that strategy is built across multiple pillars involving the Social Welfare Services, the Cyprus Police, the Ministry of Education, the legal system and civil society.

The Foni Children's House, established in 2017, has referred more than 2,600 children for psychological, social and legal support.

The Nima Centre, run by the Cyprus Family Planning Association, is Cyprus's first specialised support and therapy facility for adults who experienced sexual abuse as children. These are not peripheral services — they are part of a coordinated national response that, with Help4U, now connects to a European one.

Anton Toni Klančnik of Europol addressed participants at Thursday's conference under the session titled "Combating Online Child Exploitation: Europol's Role and the Help4U Project." His message, delivered to a room that included social workers, police officers, educators, lawyers and policymakers, was unambiguous: Help4U only works if people know it exists. Spread the news.

Why education matters as much as the platform itself

Research across Europe has documented that one in five children will suffer some form of sexual abuse or exploitation before they reach adulthood. In Cyprus, a 2015 study found that only 16 per cent of victims had sought help, a figure that reflects not only the shame and fear that surround these experiences, but a critical lack of knowledge about where to turn.

This is why awareness is not supplementary to Help4U, it is the mechanism through which the platform functions.

A child who knows that help4u-project.eu exists, and that it is safe, private and easy to use, has an option in the worst moment.

A parent who knows about it can mention it in a conversation. A teacher who has the name can pass it on.

Help4U offers a consistent, multilingual support tool that works across borders, giving parents greater peace of mind and young people a safe space where they can ask for help in a language they understand and that is age-appropriate.

As more EU countries join, Help4U will continue expanding its guidance and strengthening links to national support systems. For Cyprus, already at the table since the beginning, the task now is to make sure the tool reaches the people it was built for.

If someone is making you feel uncomfortable online, sharing your photos without permission, or asking for things that do not feel right, Help4U is here. Visit help4u-project.eu. Find answers. Reach out. Take back control.Sources: Europol / europol.europa.eu; CENTRIC / centric-research.co.uk; Foni / foni.org.cy; Foni Conference Programme, 18 June 2026, Nicosia

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