Newsroom on Children's Rights
Launch of the HELP online training course on child-friendly justice for Spanish prosecutors
On 23 April 2025, the tutored Spanish version of the Council of Europe's Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course on child-friendly justice was launched at the General Prosecutor’s Office in Madrid. This course, adapted to the Spanish context as part of the joint European...
Adopting a trauma-informed approach to child sexual abuse: A pilot training for professionals working in Barnahus in Ireland
A two-day pilot training on adopting a trauma-informed approach to child sexual abuse took place in Portlaoise, Ireland, on 9-10 April 2025 as part of the Council of Europe - European Union joint project “Support the Implementation of Barnahus in Ireland.” The training aimed to equip...
Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child: mid-term review of achievements, challenges and next steps
The mid-term review conference of the 4th Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027) has started in Strasbourg today. Organised under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, the two-day event will reflect on the achievements, address emerging challenges...
Council of Europe side-event on preventing trafficking and online exploitation among displaced children of Ukraine at the 25th OSCE Conference
On the occasion of the 25th OSCE Alliance against Trafficking in Persons conference, the Council of Europe organised a side-event, in Vienna, on 1 April 2025, on preventing trafficking and online exploitation among displaced children of Ukraine. War and mass displacement heighten the risks of...
Council of Europe Secretary General’s Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine carried out her first visit to Ukraine
Following her nomination as Special Envoy of the Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine in February 2025, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir engaged in her first fact-finding mission to Ukraine on 19-20 March 2025. “I am committed to making every possible...
Protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse: new online training course
The Council of Europe has launched a new online training course on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. It was unveiled during the 44th plenary meeting of the Committee of the Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against...
Tender call for provision of event management services in Belgium, Poland and Slovenia
The Council of Europe is currently implementing the joint European Union – Council of Europe Child-friendly Justice project in close co-operation with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST) and partner countries from 1 January 2024 to 31 March 2026. The...
Strengthening capacities of frontline professionals in Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Montenegro to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse
As part of the “End Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse @Europe Plus” (EndOCSEA@Europe+) project, frontline professionals in Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Montenegro have completed a comprehensive Training of Trainers (ToT) programme. This initiative has significantly enhanced...
Council of Europe joins global celebration of Safer Internet Day 2025
For the 10th consecutive year, the Council of Europe is supporting the Safer Internet Day Campaign and is joining forces with numerous stakeholders to work together for a better and safer internet for all, and especially for children and young people. Safeguarding and promoting the rights of the...
Special Envoy of Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine appointed
Secretary General Alain Berset has appointed Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir (Iceland) as his Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine. She will raise awareness of the challenges faced by the children of Ukraine and of the Council of Europe’s standards and initiatives to...
Protecting child victims of sexual violence: taking stock of the Barnahus project in Ireland
A final conference of the European Union – Council of Europe joint project “Support the Implementation of Barnahus in Ireland” took place in Dublin on 29 January 2025. The event gathered key stakeholders to showcase project’s main achievements and reflect on next steps in implementing the...
Key outcomes from the 10th plenary meeting of the Steering Committee for the rights of the child
During its 10th Plenary meeting held in Strasbourg on 3-5 December 2024, the Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF) reviewed several key documents prepared under the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027). During a joint session, the European...
Council of Europe highlights global child protection efforts at the WeProtect Global Alliance Summit
Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity of the Council of Europe, Marja Ruotanen, showcased the organisation's child protection initiatives at the WeProtect Global Alliance Summit in Abu Dhabi (4-5 December 2024). This landmark event brought together over 600 multidisciplinary...
Promoting child-friendly justice in Belgium, Poland and Slovenia: Round table discussion with the participation of children and youths
Main findings of the recent child-friendly justice self-assessments conducted in Belgium, Poland and Slovenia were the focus of a round table organised by the Joint European Union-Council of Europe Child-Friendly Justice (CFJ) Project in Strasbourg on 26 November 2024. These assessments carried...
The Council of Europe and UNICEF renew partnership to strengthen the protection of children’s rights in Europe
UNICEF and the Council of Europe have reaffirmed their shared commitment to protect and promote the rights of children across Europe through a renewed partnership, announced today. The partnership focuses on preventing all forms of violence against children, including online violence. Together,...
Strengthening efforts to protect children in Georgia from sexual exploitation, abuse, and violence
The Council of Europe marked the Day for Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse celebrated every year on 18 November with a series of outreach events in Georgia. Held from 18 to 22 November 2024 in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi, the events brought together over 300...
Tender call for the provision of consultancy services to support the Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine
The Council of Europe is implementing a Project on the Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine (CGU) until 31 July 2025. The CGU project’s aim is to act as a cooperation platform to facilitate dialogue and the exchange of information, in a multilateral setting, on policies...
Access to education for children of Ukraine in Europe: time to move from emergency response to long-term solutions, says Council of Europe study
On World Children’s Day, the Council of Europe warns that language barriers, limited school capacity, and difficult tracking of out-of-school children are among the key challenges faced by millions of children of Ukraine seeking refuge and access to education in Europe - as well as by their host...
Secretary General: new technologies must stop child sex abuse, not facilitate it
This year’s Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse is an opportunity for governments and international organisations to commit to using new technologies to stop these crimes. Emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and extended...
Roundtable to present reports developed in the context of Barnahus takes place in Dublin
On 6 November 2024, a Roundtable was organised in Dublin to present the different reports developed or under development in the framework of the joint European Union–Council of Europe project “Support the implementation of the Barnahus project in Ireland”. Representatives from the EU DG Reform,...
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