The International Day for the Protection of Children
The Council of Europe (CoE) marked the International Day for the Protection of Children (1 June), which is observed in several countries, by reiterating its commitment to protecting children’s rights and wellbeing, both in the physical form and online.
It has highlighted a number of existing treaties and administrative mechanisms, including the Convention on Cybercrime, which provides the framework for criminal investigations, the collection of evidence and facilitation of cross-border cooperation.
This particular convention is supported by the Second Additional Protocol on enhanced international co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence (CETS No. 224) that includes additional and expedited tools for enhanced co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence, such as direct co-operation with service providers in other jurisdictions or co-operation in emergency situations.
In May and October 2023, the Council of Europe, through the Octopus Project (based on voluntary contributions) and GLACY+ project (a joint CoE-EU project, organised training and a workshop for law enforcement representatives from Mauritius.
These activities enabled participants to develop skills needed to lead effective online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) investigations and to manage offenders. In addition, the trained officers were granted perpetual access to the Child Protection System. Additional activities with implications on online child sexual exploitation and abuse have been organised in the past year within the framework of the projects implemented by the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC).
Following International Day for the Protection of Children, another project, CyberSEE, a joint operation between the European Union (DG NEAR) and of the Council of Europe for South-East Europe and Türkiye, has been supporting the participation of key stakeholders in the AP Twins Annual Expert Meeting 2024 on Protecting Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
Organised by Europol, the EU law enforcement agency, this brought together experts, practitioners, and stakeholders from around the world to share knowledge, insights and ideas on key issues like the impact of artificial intelligence on child online safety, virtual reality, and other immersive technologies. Preventative measures, legal frameworks and strategic approaches for law enforcement and judicial authorities were also discussed.
Click here for links to various Council of Europe resources on the protection of children.
