18 November marks the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, initiative launched by the Council of Europe in 2015. In 2022, as a part of global advocacy effort, the United Nations also established the 18th of November as the World Day for the prevention of, and healing from, child sexual exploitation, abuse, and violence.
This year, the urgency of international action to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse reveals itself through concerning numbers. According to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), artificial intelligence is now being used to generate child sexual abuse imagery online. Moreover, in 2022, compared to 2021, there has been an increase of 4% in the reports suspected to contain child sexual abuse imagery.
Thus, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, announced today that the Organisation has joined the WeProtect Global Alliance, highlighting the importance of global co-operation to ensure children’s protection against sexual violence worldwide.
In this regard, the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and its Second Additional Protocol, in synergy with the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention), provide for the criminalisation of OCSEA-related conduct. Both Conventions contain effective tools and international co-operation frameworks for the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of these heinous crimes. Based on these international instruments, the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe carries out capacity building activities for criminal justice authorities worldwide, on the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cybercrime offences, including OCSEA offences.
The challenge of protecting children against online sexual violence will also be tackled at the Octopus Conference 2023, through a dedicated workshop.
Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and its Additional Protocols
Internet Watch Foundation: How AI is being abused to create child sexual abuse imagery