Global Alliance to fight child sexual abuse

Photo: Akarkayu/Flickr (CC)

"I feel very strongly about the need to fight these outrageous crimes. We must go beyond mere declarations of principle and achieve concrete improvements at national level. The recent adoption of the Directive on child sexual abuse was an important first step forward. There is, however, a need for more action worldwide", said Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström after her meeting with Eric Holder, US Attorney General, in Copenhagen.

"You will hardly find a case of child sexual abuse online that does not involve criminals, victims or infrastructure in third countries. Therefore, together with US Attorney General Mr Eric Holder, I have proposed a Global Alliance of national Ministers of the Interior and Justice. The EU and the U.S. have taken the lead in designing the Alliance, and plan to invite States around the world to join", she added.

Child pornography images circulate easily across jurisdictions and perpetuate victimisation of children whose abuse is depicted and disclosed time and again. Child pornography offenders are increasingly operating in international online groups that use sophisticated technology and security protocols to frustrate the efforts of law enforcement to investigate their crimes. Different laws and policies across jurisdictions represent a challenge for law enforcement.

The Global Alliance will seek to unite countries around the world behind a set of shared goals, such as enhancing efforts to identify victims and ensuring their protection, reducing the availability of child pornography online and enhancing efforts to investigate cases of child sexual abuse by identifying and prosecuting offenders.

Read the full press release and the joint EU-US statement [190 KB] from the ministerial meeting.