The Council of Europe Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, also known as “the Lanzarote Convention” (2007), requires criminalisation of all kinds of sexual offences against children.

 

It sets out that states in Europe and beyond shall adopt specific legislation and take measures to prevent sexual violence, to protect child victims and to prosecute perpetrators.

 

The Convention ensures that certain types of conduct are classified as criminal offences, such as engaging in sexual activities with a child below the legal age (18 years) and child prostitution and pornography. Furthermore, it criminalises the use of the new technologies to sexually harm or abuse children, for example by grooming.

 

In attempting to combat child sex tourism, the Convention establishes that individuals can be prosecuted for some offences even when the act is committed abroad.

 

Preventive measures outlined in the Convention include the screening, recruitment and training of people working in contact with children, making children aware of the risks and teaching them to protect themselves, as well as monitoring measures for offenders and potential offenders.

 

The Convention also establishes programmes to support victims, encourages people to report suspected sexual exploitation and abuse, and sets up telephone and internet help lines for children.

 

 

More information

Awareness-raising leaflet (related to the Lanzarote Convention) on sexual violence: "Tell someone you trust", aimed at children aged between 9 and 13:   Download the "Tell Someone You Trust" 

The project "STOP child abuse through effective training and augmented reality" (Erasmus+, 2020-2022) aims to decrease sexual abuse and exploitation of young people (9-18 years old).

For achieving its goal, this particular, the project will create an AR game that youth workers can use for teaching children how to respond to suspected abuse and fight child adverse experiences, both online and offline.

http://erasmusstop.eu/

Europol: Stop Child Abuse—Trace An Object

 

Europol is currently in possession of more than 40 million images of child sexual abuse from around the world. In June 2017, it launched a crowdsourcing campaign called Stop Child Abuse—Trace An Object. Censored extracts from explicit images are regularly published on their website and members of the public are asked to help in tracing their location or country of origin. Europol's site also provides many ways to report suspicions and learn about the issue.

As of 23 January 2020, Europol has received more than 24,000 tips which have led to the identification of ten victims and the prosecution of two offenders. (https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2020/04/22/creating-impact-a-year-on-stop-child-abuse-trace-an-object/)