The Republic of Moldova hosted a crucial international conference today dedicated to combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The event, entitled “Strengthening the protection of children from sexual exploitation and abuse through evidence-based policymaking”, brings together high-ranking officials and international experts.

The conference was organised by the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and the International Centre “La Strada”, underlining the inter-institutional commitment to this cause. 

The event marks the Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, an initiative launched by the Council of Europe in 2015. The aim is to raise awareness and highlight the triad of action: preventing crimes, prosecuting perpetrators and protecting victims.

A distinctive element of the conference is that it is being held under the auspices of the Moldovan Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, giving the event a heightened importance on the European agenda.

The main objective of the event was to discuss how data and evidence can be harnessed to create and implement more sustainable and effective child protection policies.

The opening session of the conference benefited from speeches by high-ranking officials, including the ministers of Internal Affairs and Labour and Social Protection, demonstrating the involvement at the governmental and parliamentary levels.

During the day, the conference continued with thematic sessions and interactive workshops focused on harnessing data from protection services, directly involving survivors in policy-making and strengthening international cooperation to prevent cross-border recidivism.