SIGFV Webinar on Sexual Exploitation
Understanding Sexual Exploitation: Insights from Research and Frontline Practice
A webinar hosted by WONCA's Special Interest Group on Family Violence
Sexual exploitation remains a deeply under-recognised public health and human rights issue, with significant consequences for mental, physical, and social well-being. This webinar will bring together leading experts and practitioners to discuss global and local perspectives on sexual exploitation, highlight findings from fieldwork and research, and share recommendations for healthcare professionals.
The session will include context from France, Belgium, and Ireland, address health impacts, and explore what is being done — and what can be improved — to support those affected. Speakers will also discuss how general practitioners and other primary care professionals can better recognise and respond to sexual exploitation in their practice.
Friday, 5 September 2025, 4:00 PM UTC
- Brussels / Paris: 6:00 PM
- Dublin / London: 5:00 PM
- New York: 12:00 PM
- Buenos Aires: 1:00 PM
- Singapore: 12:00 AM (6 September)
- Sydney: 2:00 AM (6 September)
Click here to register for the session
Speakers:
Sherihane Bensemmane
Public Health Researcher and Member of isala, Belgium
Sherihane Bensemmane is a public health researcher with a background in neuroscience and public health. She has worked in experimental biology, clinical research and public health. Since 2020, she works in primary care research. Since 2019, Sherihane has been an active member of isala, a grassroots NGO providing support to prostituted persons in Belgium. The organisation uses a participative, holistic, and individualised approach, offering outreach and drop-in services to meet immediate needs and provide long-term support.
Ruth Breslin
Director, The Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute (SERP), Ireland
Ruth Breslin is the Director of the SERP Institute in Ireland and has over 25 years of research experience across NGO and academic settings in Dublin, London, and New York. She holds an MSc in Social Research Methods from the London School of Economics. Her work focuses on tackling and preventing violence against women and girls, with particular expertise in commercial sexual exploitation. Ruth has co-authored all SERP studies and is regularly called upon to contribute to evidence-based policy, legislation, and practice both nationally and internationally.
Juliette Mercier
Psychologist, Co-founder of Centre Bertha Pappenheim, France
Juliette Mercier is a French psychologist specialising in neuropsychology and psychotraumatology. She co-founded the Centre Bertha Pappenheim in 2022, which offers free psychological and therapeutic support to women victims of male violence. Her work focuses on trauma and sexual exploitation, and she is currently involved in a national research project on health issues and access to care among prostituted persons.
Moderators:
Dr. Raquel Gómez Bravo
Co-Chair, WONCA Special Interest Group on Family Violence
Dr Raquel Gómez Bravo is a Spanish family physician based in Luxembourg and Co-Chair of the WONCA Special Interest Group on Family Violence (SIGFV) and Executive Member of the WONCA Europe Working Party on Policy Advocacy and WONCA World Working party on eHealth. She has led international projects on family violence, digital health, and long COVID, with more than 40 publications and active roles on several editorial boards. Dr. Gómez Bravo combines clinical practice, teaching, and global advocacy for stronger primary care and human rights in medicine.
Dr. Fabienne El Khoury
Social Epidemiologist, Sorbonne Université, INSERM, France
Fabienne El Khoury is a researcher at the Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health (IPLESP) in Paris, working within the Social Epidemiology, Mental Health, and Addictions team. Her research focuses on the health impacts of violence and trauma, with a particular interest in mental health, access to care, and vulnerable populations.
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