Launched on the occasion of the International Migrants Day (18 December), the Council of Europe Handbook on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in crisis and emergency situations builds on the findings of the Committee on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Committee), in particular its urgent monitoring round on protecting children affected by the refugee crisis from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse and includes examples of concrete measures that may be set up or improved in member states. It also includes the description of promising practices that have been identified in several relevant areas at national level, such as, available helpline and other support services for children, coordination across agencies responsible for migration and child protection, data collection and the phenomenon of missing children.

The Handbook contributes to the implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025) and the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022 to 2027), and is available in Czech, French, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak and Ukrainian.