18 November: Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse - 2025 Edition
Strengthening the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse through evidence-based policy making
Under the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention), State Parties are required to establish mechanisms or designate focal points for collecting and analysing data to monitor and address the issue of child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. However, collecting data is not an end in itself, it is a powerful tool to inform preventive and responsive measures that truly protect children. The aim is to ensure that responses to child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse are rooted in a clear understanding of the scope, nature, and trends of these offences. Gathering and analysing data enables governments, institutions and civil society to identify risk factors, allocate resources efficiently, monitor progress, and ultimately implement informed measures that safeguard children.
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MATERIALS
Our leaflets
Non-official languages: 
Portuguese
Non-official languages: Greek; Italian; Portuguese
ACTIVITIES AROUND THE DAY
Member states
ARMENIA
The Council of Europe office in Yerevan organised a roundtable discussion gathering 30 national and international partners, experts, and practitioners. The roundtable provided an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned from the Council of Europe’s standards, including those reaffirmed by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of A.P. v. Armenia, which addressed the inadequate protection of a child with a disability who was subjected to sexual abuse. In addition, as part of the event, the Project celebrated the achievements of the first cohort of professionals working for and with children, including civil servants, law enforcement officials, and lawyers, among others.
GEORGIA
The Council of Europe office in Tbilisi organised a capacity-building event in the Guria region, in close co-operation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia. The event featured three interactive workshops that brought together around 90 participants, including school children aged 14 and above, their parents/caregivers, as well as teachers. The workshops focused on strengthening participants’ understanding of risks related to children’s exposure to sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, including online risks, and on equipping them with practical skills to identify, prevent, and respond to potential cases. By engaging children, parents/caregivers, and educators in open discussions and participatory activities, the event helped to foster safer school and family environments and enhanced the community’s capacity to protect children from violence.
ITALY
The Foundation Il Telefono Azzurro ETS held a conference “Knowing to protect: Strengthening protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse". The conference focused on the importance of evidence-based policies to protect children.
MALTA
The Office of the Commissioner for Children published an article in the leading national newspaper on the occasion of the 18 November Day.
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
The Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Health, has launched the campaign "Child Protection Starts with You", addressed to all professionals working with and for children. The campaign aims to strengthen the role of each specialist - teacher, doctor, child rights specialist, community social worker, psychologist and police officer - in preventing, recognising and reporting cases of sexual abuse or exploitation of children.
NETHERLANDS
The Ministry of Justice and Security, National Police, Public Prosecution Service, and a civil society organisation Offlimits jointly organised a conference "The Chain Connected – Together Against Online Child Sexual Abuse”. The event focused on strengthening cross-sector cooperation in combating the online sexual exploitation of children. Keynote addresses were delivered by Conny Rijken, National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children, and Arda Gerkens, Chair of the Authority for Online Terrorism and Child Pornographic Material (ATKM). Panels and breakout sessions included such topics as the psychological impact of exposure to harmful imagery, the rise in self-generated sexual content by minors, escalating pornography use, care pathways for offenders, the evolving European CSAM regulation, and improving collaboration.
NORTH MACEDONIA
A national awareness-raising campaign has been launched based on child-friendly materials of the Council of Europe’s ONE in FIVE campaign to stop sexual violence against children.
PORTUGAL
A selection of child-friendly print materials has been published in Portuguese:
- Kiko and the Manymes for children aged 4 to 7 on how to stay safe and protect their privacy online, as well as guidelines for parents;
- “Tell someone you trust” for children aged 9-13 about sexual abuse in the circle of trust; and
- “So, this is sexual abuse?” helping children aged 12+ understand how to spot, report and get help in situations of sexual abuse, especially those involving inappropriate or explicit content online.
The Portuguese National Commission for the Promotion of Rights and the Protection of Children and Young People also held a school awareness-raising event in Lisbon.
Non-member states
MOROCCO
A national conference on child sexual exploitation online was held, focusing on stock-taking and new challenges related to artificial intelligence.
Civil society organisations
Belgium
Patouche and Ensemble Contre l’inceste (Together against Incest) held a rally against violence against children and teenagers in Brussels.
Cameroon
“Unshaming the narrative: Dismantling victim-blame in Cameroonian communities” is a strategic initiative in Cameroon’s English-speaking region that directly tackles victim-blaming and cultural shame—the biggest barriers to justice for sexual violence survivors. These are community-based healing circles for survivors and intensive workshops for parents and community leaders to unlearn harmful cultural norms. The goal is to shift the burden of shame from the survivor to the community's obligation for justice and collective dignity.
Ethiopia
An article has been published by the Gender Empowerment Movement Tigray on children trapped in a cycle of trauma exploitation.
France
“Les enfants de Tamar” organised several awareness-raising activities in the region of Normandie: a solidarity run and walk to bring together the educational community and the general public to affirm a collective commitment against violence against children; awareness workshops and a school play at the Georges Dumézil high school, and a film screening and discussion of "Cassandre".
Germany
Space Lama, dedicated to fighting child trafficking, raised awareness by assembling a human chain holding a 3000-meter-long scarf around the Reichstag building in Berlin.
Institutional Partners
Europol has launched Help4U, an online resource designed to provide support to children seeking help in situations of risk.
Council of Europe
SECRETARY GENERAL
Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
LANZAROTE COMMITTEE AND PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Maria José Castello-Branco (Portugal), Chairperson of the Committee of Parties to the Lanzarote Convention (the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse), and Saskia Kluit (Netherlands), Chairperson of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Environment of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, made a joint statement on the occasion of the Day. “While we have made progress in raising awareness and strengthening legal frameworks, the lack of consistent and comprehensive data remains a major barrier to improving protection and support for victims and survivors”, they said, stressing that the development of laws, policies, and practices to prevent and respond to child sexual exploitation and abuse must be rooted in solid evidence-based decision-making.
LANZAROTE COMMITTEE
Capacity-building conference “Strengthening the protection of children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse through evidence-based policy making”
