Each year, on 18 November, the Council of Europe observes the Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. This international day serves as a vital reminder of the scale of the issue, the importance of protecting children, and the urgent need to prevent all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse.
In 2022, the United Nations strengthened this global effort by designating 18 November as the World Day for the Prevention of, and Healing from, Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence—an important step in uniting the international community around awareness, prevention, and support for survivors.
Every year, the Council of Europe encourages a broad network of partners—member States, civil society organisations, professionals, and national parliaments—to take part in marking this day. Activities take place across countries and communities, organised independently by each stakeholder, creating a powerful, decentralised movement for change.
For this year’s edition, the focus is placed on “Strengthening the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse through evidence-based policy making”. Findings from a recent report by the Lanzarote Committee on data collection mechanisms highlight the importance of drawing on data sources beyond criminal statistics. Many sexual offences against children go unreported.
Council of Europe Secretary General, Alain Berset, emphasised the importance of gathering data from diverse sources – including education and healthcare sectors, helplines, child protection services, civil society organisations, and children themselves. This data is crucial to shape better policies, hold perpetrators accountable and prevent sexual abuse.
”To be effective, our actions to protect children and stop offenders must be based on evidence,” the Secretary General stressed. “Many States still collect only basic criminal justice data or fail to use it adequately. Facts and figures must not sit idle in reports, they must reach policy makers and inform their work to make children safe. Data collection is a good first step, and a worthy investment”.
To further underscore the pivotal importance of standardised methods for classifying data, to avoid duplication and inconsistencies, strengthening data collection mechanisms in Lanzarote Convention State Parties is the key theme of the capacity-building conference in Chișinău organised on 18 November to mark the Day, organised under the Moldovan Presidency of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.
Together, by raising awareness, sharing knowledge, and mobilising our communities, we can help advance global efforts to end child sexual abuse, both offline and online.
More information is also available on the Cyberviolence Resource developed under the Octopus Project of the Cybercrime Division. The Resource is an online tool facilitating knowledge sharing among practitioners, by providing insights into the latest developments in international and domestic legislation, policies, case-law, thematic studies, and other relevant materials. Whereas the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention, ETS No. 185) was the catalyst of the Cyberviolence Resource, given the impact that cyberviolence has on various target groups and the particularities this entails, the resource also aims at creating synergies with other Council of Europe instruments. This includes the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention, CETS No. 201), as well as other related standards and initiatives.
Council of Europe (Children's Rights): 18 November 2025: Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse
Council of Europe (Children's Rights): Lanzarote Convention
Council of Europe (Cybercrime Division): Convention on Cybercrime
Council of Europe (Cybercrime Division): Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC)
Council of Europe: Cyberviolence Resource