Stop to children sexual abuse and child pornograpy

The EU Council of Ministers adopted a directive aimed at combating sexual abuse and exploitation of children and child pornography, harmonising about 20 criminal offences and setting a high level for penalties.  The directive penalises a number of offences across the EU including the sexual abuse of children, sexual exploitation of children, child pornography and grooming, and sets lower thresholds for their maximum penalties as compared to a previous framework decision from 2004.

The text obliges EU Member States to ensure the prompt removal of online child pornography websites hosted in their own territory and to endeavour to abtian their removal of hosted outside their territory.  The directive also aims to strike hard on sex tourism industry.

For more information about the Council directive, click here.

Studies suggest that a significant minority of children in Europe, between 10 % and 20 %, will be sexually assaulted during their childhood. This phenomenon is not decreasing and certain forms of sexual violence (like child pornography) are becoming a matter of growing concern. Fighting these crimes is very difficult. Children are vulnerable, and often ashamed and afraid to report any incidents. The Internet makes it easier to groom children (solicit children online for sexual purposes) or to produce and distribute child pornography. Children portrayed in pornography are getting younger and the images are becoming more graphic and more violent. Organised crime can make a consistent profit from it with little risk.

For more information, click here.