On 7 November, Lanzarote Committee (Committee of Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse) adopted a Declaration on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse facilitated by emerging technologies.

The Lanzarote Committee recalls that sexual offences against children should remain criminalised whatever the means used to commit them. Recognising the specific harm caused by artificially generated and altered child sexual abuse material, it calls on States to consider criminalising the creation of such materials.  The Lanzarote Committee calls for States to ensure that child victims of sexual abuse facilitated by emerging technologies can access victim support services, and to strengthen the accountability for those that benefit from the misuse of these technologies.

Recognising the potential to harness these emerging technologies to better protect children, the Lanzarote Committee also calls on States to consider using these technologies to identify and safeguard victims, identify perpetrators, detect, investigate and prosecute these offences. 

The adoption of the Declaration follows a workshop on 5 November on this theme.