Introduction

“There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they can grow up in peace.”

Kofi Annan in the Foreword to "The State of the World's Children 2000"

Sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children are a global and widespread outrage confronted by the most vulnerable members of our society in the course of their learning and social development process. The physical and psychological consequences of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children often lasting a life time, and the high level of suffering therefore, firmly imposed on States to take action.

Protecting children from violence has been a top priority at the Council of Europe for many years. In 2007 the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse was adopted and opened for signature on the occasion of the 28th Conference of European Ministers of Justice in Lanzarote, Spain. Following its fifth ratification, the Convention entered into force on 1 July 2010.

The Convention is the first international treaty to address all forms of sexual violence against children including child prostitution, pedopornography, grooming and corruption of children through exposure to sexual content and activities. Its trademark is the modern “4 Ps” approach: Prevent and combat sexual exploitation and abuse of children, Protect the rights of child victims, Prosecute the perpetrators, Promote appropriate policies and national and international co-operation against this phenomenon. With an emphasis on keeping the best interests of children in the forefront, the Convention covers the following main aspects: preventive and protective measures; assistance to child victims and their families; intervention programmes or measures for child sex offenders; criminal offences, including several entirely new offences; child-friendly procedures for investigation and prosecution; recording and storing of data on convicted sex offenders; international co-operation; and a monitoring mechanism foreseen by the Convention as being essentially based on a body, the Committee of the Parties composed of representatives of the parties to the convention.

The first meeting of the Committee of the Parties took place on 20-21 September 2011. The second meeting of the Committee of the Parties is foreseen to take place on the 29-30 March 2012 in Strasbourg.