The Council of Europe (CoE) Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse is the first instrument to establish the various forms of sexual abuse of children as criminal offences, including such abuse committed in the home or within the family, with the use of force, coercion or threats.
Missing Children Europe is part of the Lanzarote Committee. We support and advise the CoE on initiatives to be taken for the implementation of the convention in Europe.
Preventive measures outlined in the Convention include the screening, recruitment and training of people working in contact with children, making children aware of the risks and teaching them to protect themselves, as well as monitoring measures for offenders and potential offenders.
The Convention’s objective is to protect children against any form of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. Every provision aims at preventing sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, protecting child victims of sexual offences and prosecuting perpetrators.