In light of the first 'European Day on the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse', organised by the Council of Europe for 18 November 2015, 34 European organisations have reiterated their call for 'No Grey Areas on the Internet'.

These 30-odd institutions gathered in Berlin on 30 October 2015 to discuss the problem of child sexual exploitation and abuse online and to support the goals of the G7 member states which demand the respect for human rights regardless of age. The actors present also outlined their Agenda to condemn Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse on the Internet.

The sexual exploitation of children is not manifested solely through child abuse images, but also through images depicting children in erotic or suggestive poses and it is this so-called 'Grey Area' that presents a risk as it does not cross lines set out by law, but remains exploitative in nature. These images, which violate children's dignity and their right to privacy and security, are significantly more easily found than child sexual abuse imagery. This free circulation and free proliferation holds the damaging potential to promulgate the sexualisation of children as normal.

The organisations therefore joined together to declare a zero tolerance policy against child sexual exploitation and abuse online through an expanded focus and understanding of exploitative imagery based on ten key points. These points include attestations such as "We underline the need for a worldwide alignment of what constitutes depictions of abuse and sexual exploitation of children on the Internet based on common principles for the assessment of such material" and the promotion of users and providers to flag or block 'Grey Area' imagery content.

2015 will be the first year of the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, on Wednesday 18 November 2015. Research has suggested that in 70-85% of cases, the perpetrator is a person already known to the child and that in an overwhelming majority of cases, 90%, this abuse is not reported to the police. The European Day will therefore aim to promote awareness of the problem in a bid to prevent the crimes, prosecute the perpetrators and protect the victims.

The Day, wherein member states will decide on national actions with which to mark the Day, will facilitate open discussion on the protection of children against these crimes, as well as promote the ratification and implementation of the Lanzarote Convention, a legally-binding instrument in which Parties are obliged to criminalise all forms of child sexual abuse and outline the ways in which it can be tackled.

In Luxembourg, photos thought to be reflective of sexual abuse can be reported at the BEE SECURE Stopline at https://stopline.bee-secure.lu. If you have any questions, write to the online help at www.kjt.lu.

 

Photo by Kanner Jugend Telefon