Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse
email
- Conteudo Principal
Day for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe approved by decision of its Council of Ministers in 2015 the creation of the annual Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse – 18 November.
The decision to dedicate the 18 November on the protection of children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse is the result of the Council of Europe’s ‘One in five’ campaign linked to a study that found that one in five children in Europe are victims of some form of violence or sexual exploitation. Sexual violence against children can take several forms: sexual abuse within or outside the family circle, child pornography and prostitution, corruption and sexual solicitation or solicitation via the internet.
The creation of this Day aims for the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, including Portugal, to commit themselves at all levels, among which is one of the most important that of safety, in the protection of children by preventing to the maximum extent that they will be victims of this serious type of crime and protecting and supporting them if they have already been victims of it.
Sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children can occur online, by phone, on the streets or through a webcam, at home or at school. It can be perpetrated by a person in the child's circle of trust or even by a stranger and can cause lifelong physical and mental harm.
The objectives of this campaign are:
Raising public awareness on sexual exploitation and abuse of children and the need to prevent it
Open discussion on protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse and helping to prevent and eliminate stigmatisation of victims
Ratification and implementation of the Lanzarote Convention, a legal instrument that obliges member states to criminalise all forms of child sexual abuse and sets out ways to combat it.
Annual Campaigns