Raadsconclusies over online kindermisbruik (en)

COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Council conclusions on a Global Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse Online

3172nd JUSTICE and HOME AFFAIRS Council meeting Luxembourg, 7 and 8 June 2012

The Council adopted the following conclusions: "THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION RECALLING

• - 

  the Stockholm Programme¹, which identifies the protection of children against the danger of sexual abuse as an important element in the strategy of children's rights:

• - 

  the Joint statement of the EU-US Summit on 28 November 2011 , which endorses combating online sexual abuse of children as an important common goal for 2012;

• - 

  the Council conclusions of 13 December 2011 on combating sexual exploitation of children and child pornography in the Internet³ - strengthening the effectiveness of police activities in Member States and third countries, which, inter alia, calls for enhanced cooperation with third countries in the field of combating child sexual abuse and exploitation, including the production and dissemination of child pornography in the Internet;

the Directive /EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography⁴, and replacing Council Framework Decision /JHA, which establishes minimum rules in the EU concerning the definition of criminal offences and sanctions in the area of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children, child pornography and solicitation of children for sexual purposes and introduces provisions to strengthen the prevention of those crimes and the protection of the victims thereof;

OJ, 4.5.2010, C 115, p. 1. PRESSE 463

/11 GVAL 108 FOPOL 368 DROIP 119 AUDIO 53. OJ, 17.12.2011, L 335, p. 1 and OJ L 18, 21.1.2012, p. 7

the Communication from the Commission "European Strategy for at better Internet for Children"⁵, which invites Member States to support the Commission in its efforts to boost cooperation with international partners in this field;

BUILDING UPON the final report of the EU-US Working Group on Cyber-security and Cybercrime related to the EU-US Summit 2011, which states that the EU and the US have agreed to further explore in 2012 how the approach to child pornography could be expanded in the US and the EU;

HAVING REGARD to the fact that the Internet has become an integral and indispensable part of modern society and a facilitator of economic growth in the EU;

NOTING WITH CONCERN that child pornography and other serious forms of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children are spreading easily through the use of new technologies and the Internet;

RECOGNISING that the cross-border nature of the majority of cases relating to sexual exploitation of children on the Internet and child pornography shows a need for close cooperation within the EU and with third countries;

CONSIDERING that global efforts to reduce circulation of child pornography should be enhanced to produce satisfactory results;

HEREBY

WELCOMES the initiative to set up a Global Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse Online;

AGREES that the Global Alliance should seek to comprehensively address the phenomenon of child sexual abuse online by obtaining political commitments from countries around the world to take action against child sexual abuse online and by following up on these commitments;

CONSIDERS that the general policy targets of the Global Alliance should include:

• 1. 

  Enhancing efforts to identify victims, whose sexual abuse is depicted in child pornography, and ensuring their assistance, support and protection;

• 2. 

  Reducing as much as possible the availability of child pornography online, inter alia by facilitating measures to remove or, where appropriate, block websites containing child pornography, and reducing as much as possible the re-victimization of children whose sexual abuse is depicted in child pornography:

• 3. 

  Enhancing efforts to investigate cases of child sexual abuse online and to identify and prosecute offenders;

• 4. 

  Enhancing efforts to increase awareness of the risks posed by children's activities online, including grooming and self-production of images that can result in the production of new child pornography that may be distributed online

INVITES the Commission and the Presidency to seek endorsement of the Global Alliance with the US authorities at the EU-US Ministerial Meeting on 20-21 June 2012 in Copenhagen within the above-mentioned framework."

5

AUDIO 46 JEUN 39 EDUC 101 TELECOM 80 CONSOM 60 JAI 307 GVAL 28