Check against delivery - Speech by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Minister Falzon,
Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

One in five girls. One in seven boys.

Before they turn 18.

That is the global reality of childhood sexual violence.

How long can we tolerate this?

***

We have the laws.

What we need now is stronger implementation — with the urgency and scale this crisis demands.

Children are not the property of their parents.

They are not just recipients of protection or charity — they are subjects of rights, and agents of change.

That is the foundation of the Lanzarote Convention — and of every serious effort to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.

But the gap between principle and practice remains wide.

Too many children still grow up surrounded by silence, fear, or stigma.

And too many states still lack the systems, training, and resources to respond.

***

The Lanzarote Convention entered into force at a time when Europe was emerging from the financial crisis.

Smartphones were still new.

AI was science fiction.

Streaming was in its infancy.

And online child sexual abuse material — at least at this scale — was barely on the radar.

Today, the threats have changed.

They are more complex.

But our responsibility has not.

***

The Lanzarote Convention remains the only legally binding treaty dedicated to protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse.

Since its entry into force, progress has been real.

In 2010, six countries had Barnahus or similar child-friendly justice models.

Today, 28 do.

Statutes of limitation for sexual offences against children have been extended or abolished in several states.

***

But how much closer are we to safety for every child?

Have we forgotten what it is like to be a teenager?

The silence. The confusion. The fear of speaking out — or not being believed.

Sexual violence against children is not only a human rights violation.

It is a public health issue — one with long-term psychological, emotional, and economic consequences.

And it affects children across all backgrounds — in homes, schools, sports clubs, and religious institutions.

***

Most abuse is committed by someone the child knows and trusts.

This includes family members, educators, coaches, and community leaders.

A preventive, public health approach is essential.

That means:

• Raising awareness.
• Screening and training adults who work with children.
• Empowering children to recognise abuse and seek help.

That is what prevention looks like — and where many systems still fall short.

At the same time, the threats children face are evolving fast.

In 2024, 91% of all child sexual abuse pages found online included self-generated content.

AI-generated abuse images rose by 380% in just one year.

Three hundred eighty percent!

***

The Council of Europe has been clear about the risks.

In November, I stressed the need to regulate emerging technology to keep harmful tools out of children’s hands.

The Lanzarote Committee’s 2024 declaration called on states to criminalise AI-generated abuse content, strengthen investigations, and increase victim support.

Technology must be regulated — and used to combat, not facilitate, sexual violence.

***

Meanwhile, sexual violence between children and teenagers is rising.

In one member state, the Children’s Commissioner found that nearly 30% of children had seen pornography by age 11.

By 13, it was half.

When a child’s first exposure to sex is violent content online, we should not be surprised by harmful behaviour among peers.

This is why the Council of Europe is working on a new recommendation for age-appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education — to prevent harm before it begins.

***

This growing awareness is also reaching the public.

Adolescence — one of Netflix’s most-watched series this year — has been viewed over 140 million times.

It has been used in classrooms across Europe to support education on online harm, peer pressure, and consent.

Culture cannot replace policy, but it can help bring prevention into the spaces where children actually live their lives.

And when children do display sexually harmful behaviour, they must be supported through a restorative justice approach, not criminalised.

***

Too often, victims need time to speak.

And time is exactly what they don’t have.

The Lanzarote Committee has urged states to ensure limitation periods never expire before adulthood — and ideally, to abolish them altogether.

Many victims carry their story for years.

We must build systems that are ready when they finally speak.

This is where the Barnahus model — now adopted in more than half of Council of Europe member states — makes a tangible difference.

It brings together police, prosecutors, doctors, psychologists, and child protection services in a single, child-friendly setting — so the child only tells their story once.

The Council of Europe promotes this multidisciplinary and interagency approach as the standard for child-friendly justice.

Multidisciplinary support. No re-traumatisation. Child-friendly justice.

It works. And it must become the norm.

***

The Lanzarote Convention has also become a reference outside Europe.

Countries like Morocco, Chile, and others around the globe are showing strong interest in accession.

Because these challenges are not European — they are global.

***

The war in Ukraine has only deepened these challenges.

In 2022, the Lanzarote Committee issued a statement urging states to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse resulting from the Russian Federation’s aggression.

Refugee and migrant children remain especially vulnerable — and must be protected through international cooperation and accountability.

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And while the Convention is already legally binding, it is also a benchmark.

I want to commend those countries that have gone beyond its legal standards — and have found creative, child-centred ways to implement them.

I want to thank Malta for its leadership as Chair of the Committee of Ministers, and for placing this topic firmly on the agenda.

And I want to acknowledge the strong engagement of the European Union, which continues to promote the Lanzarote Convention in its external action.

***

Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Across Europe, a whole generation is turning 15.

They were born the year the Lanzarote Convention entered into force.

They have grown up through war, a pandemic, climate anxiety — and the explosion of online harm.

It has shaped who they are.

We have made progress — but we have more work to do.

Let us finish what we started — for them, and for every child after them.

I urge all of us to strengthen evidence-based policymaking — and to use the full scope of this Convention to close the gap between law and practice, between rights and reality.

Raise awareness.

Change laws.

Fund prevention.

Train professionals.

Support victims.

Monitor results.

Let us  commit to full compliance with the Lanzarote Convention — with the urgency our children deserve.

Thank you.