Foreword

Improper use of the internet facilitates the distribution of images depicting the sexual exploitation of children. Child predators use it to view, purchase, sell or exchange images, films or videos depicting the explicit sexual abuse of children. Besides, various chat-rooms and social networks present a danger to children who can coincidentally engage in conversations with grown-ups who may use different tactics to groom them for subsequent sexual conduct, abuse or exploitation by procuring sexually explicit images of them or by facilitating meetings where physical abuse could occur.

The OSCE recognizes that the production and dissemination of child abuse images is a particularly serious form of crime committed against children.

The MC Decision No. 15/06 Combating sexual exploitation of children, adopted in Brussels in 2006 recommends the participating States to establish training programs concerning sexual exploitation of children for personnel, including those working in the areas of justice, policing, tourism, transport, social work, health care, civil society, religious organizations, and education.

The MC Decision No. 9/07 Combating Sexual Exploitation of Children on the Internet adopted in Madrid in 2007 tasks the relevant OSCE structures to further enhance specialized training for law enforcement, teachers and health professionals, as appropriate, on combating child pornography on the internet, including by taking advantage of existing programmes such as offered by the international centre for Missing and Exploited Children. It also tasks the relevant OSCE executive structures to facilitate contacts in this regard.

In the same vein the OSCE Secretariat was tasked to set up within the POLIS website of the Strategic Police Matters Unit a multilingual section devoted to combating sexual exploitation of children on the Internet, and to create an expert forum that would facilitate access of participating States’ law enforcement agencies to best practices and available investigative techniques or software, access to legislative drafting assistance or legislative models, and provide awareness-raising information and web links for the public.

Thus, this portal was set up in December 2009. It aggregates information from the Digital Library, Events Calendar and offers new features related to a given topic. It is meant to be a useful tool for law enforcement practitioners while exchanging information on their efforts to curb sexual abuse of children on the Internet. For further information, initiatives or comments we kindly ask you to contact Hana.Snajdrova@osce.org

Latest Documents

Directive of the European Parliament and the Council on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA

The Council adopted a directive aimed at combating sexual abuse and the exploitation of children as well as child pornography. The directive harmonises about 20 criminal offences, setting a high level of penalties.

Subject: Crimes against childrenCrimes against children, Sex crimesSex crimes
Category: Reports, research papers and legal documents

Child sexual exploitation 2011 fact sheet

This fact sheet describes Europol's core activities and projects related to combating sexual exploitation of children in 2011.

Subject: Crimes against childrenCrimes against children, Sex crimesSex crimes
Category: Reports, research papers and legal documents

UNODC Global Smart Update, Volume 5, March 2011

Each issue of the Update contains regional overviews and a special coverage and thematic segments. The special segment of the current issue concerns South Asia, a region which has traditionally been associated with opiates, not synthetic drugs.

Subject: Drug offencesDrug offences
Category: Reports, research papers and legal documents

Current/Upcoming Events

No upcoming events are currently scheduled.
Latest past events are listed below.