Under the supervision of the Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF), the ENF-VAE undertakes a review of law, policy and practice on strengthening responses to violence through integrated approaches for preventing and combatting violence against children, including sexual violence and harmful behaviour.

Furthermore, ENF-VAE will prepare, as appropriate, on the basis of the above-mentioned reviews, policy instruments as well as practical tools to guide member States and other stakeholders in this area, in line with international and European standards and good practice, including the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, relevant conventions of the Council of Europe and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

 Composition

• Members of the ENF-VAE
• Participants
• Observers

 Background documents: reference documents / relevant documents 

• Terms of reference 2024-2027
• Terms of reference 2023-2024
• Workplan proposal and working methods 2025-2027
• Safeguarding children from the risks of accessing online pornographic content: Concept note for a thematic exchange ; Meeting report of the thematic exchange

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2023)8 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on strengthening reporting systems on violence against children and its Explanatory memorandum (2023)
• Implementation review on Recommendation CM/Rec(2009)10 on Council of Europe policy guidelines on integrated national strategies for the protection of children from violence: CM/Rec(2009)10 ; Questionnaire; Table of replies from member States; Methodology to conduct implementation reviews of Committee of Ministers’ Recommendations.

   Completed work

• Thematic guidance note - Safeguarding children from the risks of accessing online pornographic content (2025)
• Study on Sexual violence and harmful sexual behaviour displayed by children: Nature, causes, consequences and responses (2020); and updated study on Sexual violence and harmful sexual behaviour displayed by children: Nature, causes, consequences and responses (2024) 
• Concept note to carry out Child consultations on age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education (2024) 
• Feasibility study on age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to strengthen responses for – inter alia – preventing and combating violence, including risky or harmful sexual behaviour by children (2024)
• Progress and delay in achieving universal prohibition and elimination of corporal punishment in Council of Europe member States (2024)

The predecessor of ENF-VAE,  the Working Group on responses to violence against children (CDENF-GT-VAE), carried out its work during June 2020 and September 2022. 

Previous meetings ENF-VAE

Previous meetings CDENF-GT-VAE