EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse

Summary:

Communication published by the European Commission on 24 July 2020, setting out a strategy aimed at fighting child sexual abuse both online and offline.

Further information:

This EU strategy presents a framework to respond in a comprehensive way to the increasing threat of child sexual abuse, both in its online and offline form. This strategy is the reference framework for EU action in the fight against these crimes for the period 2020-2025.

It sets a number of initiatives for development:

• Ensuring complete implementation of existing legislation (Directive 2011/93/EU);
• Ensuring that EU legislation enables an effective response;
• Identifying legislative gaps, best practices and priority actions;
• Strengthening law enforcement efforts at national and EU level;
• Enabling Member States to better protect children through prevention;
• A European centre to prevent and counter child sexual abuse;
• Galvanising industry efforts to ensure the protection of children in their products; and
• Improving protection of children globally through multi-stakeholder cooperation.

The strategy responds to the calls for concrete action from citizens, the European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union. The strategy also complements the Commission's European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children. It is part of the Commission's latest Security Union Strategy.

Official

European Commission: Press Release, 24/07/2020: Delivering on a Security Union: initiatives to fight child sexual abuse, drugs and illegal firearms https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1380

European Commission: Delivering on a Security Union: Questions and Answers (24 July 2020) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_20_1381

European Commission: Press statement by Commissioner Johansson on initiatives to fight child sexual abuse, drugs and firearms (24 July 2020) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_20_1413

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