Child sexual abuse is among the most heinous crimes on the innocents. This crime is however a growing reality due to the rapid expansion of the digital world. To answer the complex issue of illegal online content regulation, the European Commission launched an initiative to set out the responsibilities of relevant online service providers, requiring them to detect and report child sexual abuse online and to report that material to public authorities. FAFCE contributed to the Commission public consultation on “Fighting child sexual abuse: detection, removal and reporting of illegal content online“.
FAFCE welcomed the work of the European Union to fight child sexual abuse, and brought to the attention of the European Commission 5 actions points with regards to the fight against child sexual abuse:
- The fight against the production and the diffusion of child sexual abuse material starts with the effective implementation of existing EU law;
- The over-sexualisation of children in the media is a root cause for child sexual abuse that needs be acknowledged and legislatively forbidden;
- Children’s self-produced sexual images and videos provide content to abusers and must be prevented through legislation and education, namely by empowering parents and family associations;
- Access of minors to online pornography is a form of sexual abuse and a serious issue of public health concern: it must be efficiently prevented and tackled;
- Parents need to be supported, informed and recognised in their role and responsibility as primary educators and protectors of their children.
