Newsroom on Children's Rights
Committee of Experts finalises drafting of a legal instrument on the rights and best interests of the child in care proceedings
The Committee of Experts on the Rights and the Best interests of the Child in Parental Separation and in Care Proceedings (CJ/ENF-ISE) held its 10th and last meeting on 14-16 October to finalise the draft recommendation on the protection of the rights and best interests of the child in care...
Understanding the risks of trafficking: a crucial step in protecting children of Ukraine
War and mass displacement typically amplify the risks linked to human trafficking, and the war in Ukraine is no exception. As the war drags into its third year, these risks have not diminished but changed form. Children, particularly those displaced by Russia’s war of aggression, face an...
Tender call for the provision of market research services to assess perceptions on child sexual abuse in Croatia
The Council of Europe is currently implementing the project “Implementing the Barnahus Model in Croatia”. This Project is implemented by the Council of Europe's Children's Rights Division in close co-operation with the Croatian Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation...
Implementing the Barnahus model in Croatia: roundtable discussion of key findings from legal and training gap analyses
On 8 October 2024, a round table was held in Zagreb to present the first results of the joint European Union - Council of Europe project “Implementing the Barnahus model in Croatia”. The round table marked a significant step forward as two critical analyses prepared by national experts were...
Lanzarote Committee to assess the implementation of its recommendations on protection of children from sexual offences facilitated by information and communication technologies
On 2 October 2024, Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention) were requested to submit information on the measures they have taken to comply with the recommendations of the Lanzarote Committee’s 2nd...
Committee of Experts on the Prevention of Violence discusses its ongoing work to protect children from violence
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on the Prevention of Violence (ENF-VAE) met on 24 and 25 September 2024 to examine the first draft of the report on the state of implementation by member states of the Recommendation CM/Rec(2009)10 on policy guidelines on integrated national strategies...
Exchange of good practices on child-friendly justice among Belgian, Polish and Slovenian counterparts in Ljubljana
On 25-26 September 2024, family court judges, members of the Belgian High Council of Justice, and representatives from the Ministries of Justice of Belgium and Poland convened with their Slovenian counterparts for a two-day exchange workshop. Organised as part of the Joint European Union-Council...
Closing event of EEA Norway Grants Home Affairs Programme in Latvia takes place in Riga
On 17 September 2024, the closing event and the last Joint meeting of the Cooperation Committee and the Project Monitoring Board of the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 for the Programme “International Police Cooperation and Combating Crime” took place in Riga....
Tender call for provision of hospitality services in Helsinki, Finland
The Council of Europe is currently implementing the joint European Union – Council of Europe project “Implementing the Barnahus Model in Croatia”. This Project is implemented by the Council of Europe's Children's Rights Division in close co-operation with the Croatian Ministry of Justice, Public...
Increased risks of human trafficking require concerted action to reduce children’s vulnerability to trafficking
On the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) joins the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Human Beings (ICAT) in calling for concerted measures to reduce the...
Council of Europe supports deinstitutionalisation reform and protection of unaccompanied and separated children’s rights in Armenia
On 24 July 2024, the Council of Europe project “Protecting the Rights of Armenian Children in Post-Conflict Context” organised a roundtable discussion with a view to support Armenia's efforts in deinstitutionalisation reform and enhance the protection of the rights of unaccompanied and separated...
Purchase of event and catering services in Vienna, Austria
The Council of Europe is currently implementing the Project “End online child sexual exploitation and abuse @Europe Plus” (EndOCSEA@Europe+) in Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Montenegro. The project is implemented from 1 September 2023 to 30 August 2025. In that context, the mid-term Conference...
Launching of the new Spanish version of the HELP course on child-friendly justice
On 11 July 2024, the new Spanish version of the Council of Europe Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course on child-friendly justice (2023) was launched at the Judicial School of the General Council of the Judiciary of Spain, in Barcelona. This course has been adapted to the...
Irish representatives visit Barnahus in Reykjavik and exchange experiences on addressing child sexual abuse
On 4 June 2024, in the context of the EU DG REFORM-CoE joint project "Support the implementation of the Barnahus model in Ireland", representatives from the Irish Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), the Department of Health, the Department of Justice, the...
Tender Call for Local Consultancy Services in the field of Combating Violence Against Children in Goergia
The Council of Europe Project Combating Violence Against Children in Georgia has launched a call for the provision of local consultancy services. The aim of the tender is to create a pool of national consultants to provide consultancy requested by the Council on an as-needed basis, in order to...
CANCELLED: Tender call for provision of hospitality and transportation services in Reykjavík, Iceland
The Council of Europe is currently implementing the joint European Union – Council of Europe project “Implementing the Barnahus Model in Croatia”. This Project is implemented by the Council of Europe's Children's Rights Division in close co-operation with the Croatian Ministry of Justice, Public...
New e-learning course for professionals working with children faced with war related psychological difficulties
On 4 July 2024, the Council of Europe Project “Protecting the Rights of Ukrainian Children during and in post-war context” presented an online learning course “Specificities of the work of social psychologists with children who have psychological difficulties related to the war”. The e-learning...
Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine discusses the risks of trafficking of Ukrainian children including for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation
Millions of Ukrainian children have fled their homeland as a result of Russia’s war of aggression, with many of them being hosted in Council of Europe member states. Armed conflicts create particular vulnerabilities for children leading to increased risks of abuse at many levels, including...
Bridging legal gaps to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse in Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Montenegro
On 25 June 2024, stakeholders of the "End Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse@Europe Plus" (EndOCSEA@Europe+) project gathered in Strasbourg for the first workshop since its launch in September last year. The project aims to support authorities and professionals in the three focus...
Lanzarote Committee adopts an opinion on limitation periods in respect of sexual offences against children
At its 42nd plenary meeting (11-13 June 2024), the Lanzarote Committee (Committee of Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse) adopted an opinion to clarify the interpretation of the Lanzarote Convention in respect of...