Protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in the Republic of Moldova

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Workshop on enhancing resources and training of legal professionals on online child sexual exploitation and abuse and Steering Committee meeting

On 27 February, the Council of Europe project on protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in the Republic of Moldova organised a Workshop on enhancing resources and training of legal professionals on online child sexual exploitation and abuse in the Republic of Moldova, as well as the third and last Steering Committee meeting of the project.

The objective of the workshop was to present and discuss the key findings of several assessments to identify the current resources, procedures, capacities and training needs on child sexual exploitation and abuse of legal professionals, in terms of improving them. During the course of the first part of the day the outcomes of the following three reports were presented:

Mapping study on systemic issues affecting the child protection system’s response to child sexual exploitation and abuse the effective implementation of the Lanzarote Convention, which has now been finalized after consultation, desk study and on-site research phases;
2 Reviews of training materials, programmes and strategies available for judges, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies on investigation and examination of online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

In addition, the methodology and first data of the analysis of the judicial practice on child sexual exploitation and abuse cases for the last three years were presented and discussed.

The workshop provided an opportunity to relevant authorities and stakeholders to voice their feedback and to further explore the development of a training module for legal professionals on investigation of online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

In the second part of the day, the third and last meeting of the Steering Committee of the project took place. The aim of the Steering Committee meeting was to take stock on the results achieved in the past year, with focus on the project activities implemented during the period of October 2019 – February 2020, as well as to present the follow-up project: phase II, which will start in April 2020.

Chisinau 27 February 2020

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Project information

The project aims at supporting the Republic of Moldova to strengthen the state response to child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse through effective implementation of the Lanzarote Convention and other relevant international standards, as well as promotion of child-friendly practices for legal and other professionals. It has three key components focusing on:

harmonization of legal and policy framework;
capacity building of professionals; and
awareness raising for the prevention and protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.

The project duration is 15 months with the implementation period of 15 October 2018-15 January 2020 and implemented in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova (2017-2020). The project is anchored in the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021) and part of the Programme “Building a Europe for and with Children”.

Context

The Republic of Moldova ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, also known as the “Lanzarote Convention” in 2011. The Lanzarote Convention is the most ambitious and comprehensive international legal instrument aimed at preventing and protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, prosecuting perpetrators and promoting international cooperation in these areas. The Committee of the Parties, also known as the Lanzarote Committee, is charged with monitoring the implementation of the Convention. The Republic of Moldova participated in the first monitoring round dedicated to the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in the circle of trust (2014-2018) and is currently taking part in the second monitoring round on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse facilitated by information and communication technologies (2017).

The Guidelines of the Committee of the Ministers of the Council of Europe on child-friendly justice (2010) recall, promote and reinforce many universal and European standards. The Guidelines give a concrete regional dimension to children’s rights standards designed internationally, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the United Nations Guidelines on Justice in matters involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime (2005). The guidelines are based on the European Convention on Human Rights and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights whose judgments are binding.

The Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)7 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on Guidelines to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child in the digital environment adopted last year sets out groundbreaking standards at international level to better protect and empower children as rights-holders in a digital world.

The project promotes the implementation of these international standards and builds on the progress and work done already at national level. Relevant national standards and policies include the Law no. 338 of 15.12.1994 on the rights of the child, Decision No. 434 of 10.06.2014 on the approval of the Child Protection Strategy for the years 2014-2020, Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2017-2020, as well as the conclusions and recommendations of the Roundtable “Implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse: Challenges and Best Practices”, organised jointly by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova and the Council of Europe on 21-22 February 2018, in Chisinau.