On 1 February 2023, the Committee of Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (“Lanzarote Committe”) held an exchange of views with the European Commission on the European Union Regulation proposal to prevent and combat child sexual abuse.

Within the exchange, a consultant report prepared under the responsibility of the Secretariat of the Children's Rights Division of the Council of Europe, on the potential implications of the proposed EU regulation was launched. The report is authored by legal academics Dr Mark Leiser (Leiden University) and Dr Sabine Witting (Vrije University of Amsterdam) and it was prepared with sponsorship from both universities, ECPAT International and the Council of Europe.

In terms of online child sexual abuse, the report puts forward a series of recommendations, such as capacity building for law enforcement, child-friendly reporting mechanisms and dedicated support services for the child victim.

Additionally, clearly defined terms, as well as verification mechanisms for the identified risks are proposed for strong data protection safeguards.

The opinions expressed in this report are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Council of Europe.