ACTIVITIES :: Safer Internet Programme :: Policy:: Related legislation

Related legislation

The issues relating to child protection online are global and complex: everybody can generate content for everybody else to see and access from all over the world; the production of child abuse material may take place in one country, the distribution may be hosted in a second and material may be downloaded from all over the world.

In order to clarify different legal issues related to the protection of minors in the context of online and audiovisual media, European-wide standards have been established. The most relevant recommendations and directives for the Safer Internet programme are:

The Council Recommendation 98/560/EC on the protection of minors and human dignity in audiovisual and information services (1998) that makes recommendations and gives guidelines on the protection of minors
This was followed by the European Parliament and Council Recommendation 2006/952/EC on the protection of minors and human dignity and on the right of reply which takes into account recent technological developments and the changing media landscape
The Audiovisual Media Services directive adopted in December 2007 which includes rules for the protection of minors
The Council of Europe Convention on cyber crime (2001) which aims to facilitate international cooperation in the detection, investigation and prosecution of cyber crime
It was followed by the Council of Europe Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (July 2007) (with which establishes forms of sexual abuse of children as criminal offences
The Council Framework decision 2004/68/JHA on child pornography (2004) sets out the minimum requirements for Member States in the definition of offences and appropriate sanctions concerning the production, distribution, dissemination, transmission, making available as well acquisition and possession of child abuse material. On 25 March 2009 the Commission published the text of a proposal for a revised Council Framework decision on combating the sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, repealing Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA
The Commission's communication COM (2007) 267, 22.5.2007 Towards a general policy on the fight against cyber crime aimed at strengthening operational law enforcement cooperation in the field of online child sexual abuse material, improving international cooperation.
The Commission's communication COM (2006) 367, 4.7.2006 Towards an EU strategy on the Rights of the Child addresses internal and external policies on children's rights in a coherent way, fully consistent with the already existing Community action plans and programmes.
The EU "Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child" (Council Conclusions 16457/07, 12 December 2007) serve as framework for protecting the rights and integrity of children in third countries.