End Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse @ Europe (EndOCSEA@Europe)

The EndOCSEA@Europe project is implemented by the Children’s Rights Division of the Council of Europe, in co-operation with the Cybercrime Office (C-PROC) in Bucharest, Romania.

Objectives

The ever increasing use of information and communication technologies whilst providing additional opportunities for children to exercise their rights also exposes them to greater risks of sexual exploitation and abuse facilitated by online technologies. Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) is a crime that has far reaching, long-term consequences for the victims, survivors and the wider community. Preventing and combatting this crime is a complex challenge that requires constant action by every member state of the Council of Europe.

To support member states to prevent and combat OCSEA, the Council of Europe has launched a new project “End Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse @ Europe” (EndOCSEA@Europe). This project seeks to address the contextual challenges identified at pan-European and country levels by promoting, facilitating and supporting national efforts and actions to prevent and combat OCSEA. This project will support global efforts in this area, including actions towards SDG 16.2 and SDG 5.2 as well as the implementation of relevant international and European standards, in particular the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention), and 8 of the capabilities identified in the WePROTECT Model National Response.

Newsroom on EndOCSEA@Europe project

Back “Strengthening civil society participation in the implementation and monitoring of the Lanzarote Convention” conference report

On 8-9 April 2019, an international conference on “Strengthening civil society participation in the implementation and monitoring of the Lanzarote Convention” gathered representatives from over 35 civil society organisations (CSOs), active in 20 member states of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.

Growing resistance in society to discuss sensitive issues and uphold the rights of the child, insufficient co-operation resulting in re-traumatisation of child-victims and a general lack of awareness and understanding of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA), were among the common challenges identified by participants. The conference concluded by recommending that:

Co-operation between CSOs within and across countries should be further encouraged;
Child-friendly tools and accessible materials on the Lanzarote Convention should be developed;
Awareness raising materials should be evidence-based and developed through child participation;
Action should be taken to strengthen safeguards, ensure confidentiality of a victim’s identity and that children can report abuse even in the absence of parents or legal guardians;
Harmful sexual behaviour among children should be dealt with through educational and public health responses, not criminal procedures requiring prosecution;
Child participation in the implementation and monitoring of the Lanzarote Convention should be further encouraged and facilitated.

The full meeting report identifies also promising practices and lessons learned.

The conference was organised in the framework of the Council of Europe projects on Protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in the Republic of Moldova; Responding to Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Georgia-phase I; Protecting children against violence, including sexual exploitation and sexual abuse; and to End Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse@Europe.

The Council of Europe gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided for this programme by the Fund to End Violence Against Children.

Conference report