Workshop 11: Child protection online and cyberviolence

The fast pace of the technology evolvement presents new challenges for combatting online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSEA). To address this phenomenon, clear and comprehensive national legislation, in line with international standards is crucial. Both the UN Treaty against cybercrime (Article 14) and the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (Article 9) criminalise OCSEA in a similar manner. In addition, the UN treaty criminalises the solicitation or grooming of children for sexual offences (Article 15) and the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images (Article 16). However, the negotiation of the UN treaty against cybercrime also indicated that the provisions of international treaties in this respect are often misunderstood.

Vague or too narrow legislation may impede the proper identification, reporting and investigation of OSCEA. Civil society organisations may play a critical role in receiving reports on OCSEA and channelling them to criminal justice authorities. Domestic legislation should facilitate the work of all actors – including civil society organisations – in this respect in line with international standards and best practices.  

               The purpose of this workshop is to clarify the scope, concepts and content of international standards on OCSEA. In this way, the workshop aims to contribute to solutions that will allow not only criminal justice authorities but also service providers and civil society organisations to protect children from online violence.