PACE today expressed its concern about the over-sexualisation of children, a widespread phenomenon in the media, marketing campaigns, television programmes and everyday products. This phenomenon can have a serious impact on children’s self-esteem, well-being, relationships and equal opportunities and, in certain cases, can be severely detrimental to their physical and mental health, said the members of the Assembly.
The Assembly is notably concerned about “sexting” (the sharing of sexually explicit images via mobile devices or other means on the Internet), which has swept through Europe’s schools, often leading to significant psychological trauma.
In adopting a resolution on the basis of a report by Valeriu Ghiletchi (Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD), PACE called on member states to draft effective legislation and frame policies to prevent the over-sexualisation of children, drawing on studies and scientific data collection.
The Assembly also urged states to take legislative action to put limits on the sexualised depiction of children in the media and advertising, and recommended to develop sex and relationship education programmes in schools and support for educational staff, in order to protect children in an over-sexualised environment.
Lastly, PACE recommended that the Committee of Ministers consider this issue under the new Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021).