Back 24th meeting of the PACE One in Five Network of Contact Parliamentarians to stop sexual violence against children

Strasbourg , 

On the topic of the hearing: Treatment of child sex offenders

 

  • When we talk about the sexual abuse of innocent children, there’s a word which will resonate with many people. Unforgiveable. Perhaps more than any other, these crimes challenge our understanding. For the vast majority of people they are unthinkable; there is no cause which justifies them; they are a step beyond any other form of violence. They are – understandably – considered monstrous; immeasurable; perhaps even the worst thing a person can do.
  • And so the treatment of child sex offenders can be very difficult to address. Can this person be treated? Can they be returned, safely to society – and should they be allowed? Or should they be locked up and then we throw away the key?
  • And if we believe that they can be treated, then the equally difficult question is how? The risks of reoffending are high. Can prison sentences alone really prepare these individuals for life back on the outside?
  • The truth is that these offenders need help – psychological and social – if they are to avoid repeating their crimes. The evidence makes this very clear. For instance, a research by the “Dunkelfeld Project: A Pilot Study to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and the Use of Child Abusive Images” has shown that therapy for potential offenders can reduce child sexual offending risk behaviours. But this is an extremely difficult message to get across. The vast majority of the public do not want their taxes spent on what are so often presented as ‘soft’ or sympathetic treatments for these criminals. For politicians, this debate is a minefield: some navigate it by choosing to talk tough, compounding the polarized nature of the debate. Others steer clear of it altogether. And the media very rarely devote their column inches to explaining the nuances of the problem.
  • And yet it is only by changing our approach, and by providing these kinds of treatment, that we can change the behaviour of these offenders. And it is therefore only by doing so – and this is the bit which really matters – that we can keep our children safe.
  • is the aim which must guide us: being pragmatic in order to protect our children. And if it means challenging our preconceptions and trying different, less comfortable approaches – then this is what we must do.
  • And, indeed, this is what our Lanzarote Convention does. This groundbreaking treaty doesn’t prescribe methods which are easy, or popular – it prescribes methods which work.
  • Under the Convention, states can move beyond a purely punitive response to sex offenders towards a preventive solution. Chapter V of the Convention – Intervention Programmes or Measures – represents a real added value, as it requires Parties to ensure and promote specific programmes and measures and also to make them accessible at any time during the proceedings inside and outside prison.
  • Furthermore, the Lanzarote Convention also addresses the needs of children who commit these crimes themselves – even if they are below the age of criminal responsibility – by calling upon States Parties to make sure they receive specific help with regard to their sexual behavioural problems, thus preventing them from reoffending at a later stage. Often these children were victims themselves, and it takes smart and sophisticated interventions to break that cycle.
  • These have been major steps – pushing many states beyond their comfort zones, and I want to pay real tribute to all of the governments who have signed up to these provisions and who are now putting them into practice. That takes real leadership. But of course we need to put those commitments into practice.
  • In this context, let me welcome your tireless commitment to the success of the One in Five Campaign and praise the work of the Network of Contact Parliamentarians in support of our collective efforts to combat sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

I welcome the focus of your last external meeting in Chisinau last May on “Strategies and mechanisms to protect children from sexual abuse, trafficking and sexual exploitation”. The One in Five Campaign is producing tangible results: as you know, among the most recent developments, is a new website in Sweden devoted to the issue of sexual violence against children. Other initiatives are underway in countries such as Azerbaijan to raise awareness amongst school children and their parents, as well as training initiatives for teachers and police. Finally, let me also congratulate you for the selection of the two-minute video clip ‘The Lake’, produced by the Assembly in 2013 with the aim of encouraging children who suffer sexual abuse to seek help, among the finalists for the European Association of Communications Agencies “Care Awards” in the category Government and Non-Profit. These and many other initiatives confirm your commitment to this important cause.

  • I am very much looking forward to our expert’s intervention on this topic.

The prevention and control of child sex abuse requires interventions at different levels, by a diverse set of stakeholders and professionals, and having a specific focus on the offenders themselves is one of them.