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Fight against sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children, including child pornography |
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Sexual relations with a child under a certain age and in the absence of free will, child prostitution and child pornography are particularly serious and cruel crimes. The development of the Internet and the facilitation of international travel have further aggravated these phenomena. Victims of abuse and exploitation must receive special protection and care, while offenders must be held responsible and prosecuted. A worrying phenomenon  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. Increasing the level of protection The Framework Decision on combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography lays down a set of common minimum rules for EU States. In particular, it establishes common provisions on criminalisation, sanctions, aggravating circumstances, assistance to victims and jurisdiction. However, it does not include new developments, such as grooming on the Internet (offenders often posing as children who deceive minors for the purpose of sexual abuse). In order to address any shortcomings and to raise the level of protection for children, the Commission submitted a proposal for a new Directive on sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children and child pornography in March 2010 (to replace the 2004 Framework Decision), on which the European Parliament and the Council reached an agreement in June 2011. It is an ambitious text that covers the prosecution of offenders, protection of victims and prevention of the crime. Child sexual exploitation and the Internet  The Commission promotes specialist police unit operations that aim at identifying child pornography sites and networks and the children in the images, including prosecuting those responsible. A Europol-based platform for Internet-related offences mainly deals with child abuse content. The Commission also supports a network of NGO-run hotlines in EU States that collects reports on child abuse websites so that they could be removed and investigated (Safer Internet Programme). The Commission has also supported the launch of the European Financial Coalition, which brings together Internet providers, banks and payment system suppliers, NGOs, telecom companies, Europol, Eurojust and police and judicial authorities. The aim is to combat the production, distribution and sale of child pornography images on the Internet. |
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