#PassTheLaw - Children's online safety can't wait any longer

After yet another failure to reach an agreement by Member States on the proposed Regulation to combat child sexual abuse, Eurochild, together with the rest of the ECLAG coalition, sends a powerful reminder: children cannot wait. Through a striking stunt and a policy event, we urged EU leaders to move forward with laws to prevent and combat child sexual abuse.

In the context of the ECLAG Week of Action, on Monday 13 October, ECLAG*, a coalition that includes Eurochild, staged a powerful stunt in the heart of Brussels’ EU quarter to highlight the high cost of political inaction when EU policymakers fail to agree on a legal framework to combat child sexual abuse.

At the Schuman Roundabout, passers-by were confronted with what looked like a classroom – with desks, chairs, and backpacks – but instead of children, there were heartbreaking stories: real-life cases of child sexual abuse that occurred in EU countries over the past 3 years during which Member States delayed a much needed law that would have protected them.  

While the Regulation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse has been stalled in negotiations since 2022, online child sexual abuse cases skyrocketed. According to Internet Watch Foundation data, AI-generated abuse grew by 400% in 2025, and National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children data show that reports of online grooming increased by 300% since 2021. As Fabiola Bas Palomares, Eurochild Lead Policy and Advocacy Officer on Online Safety stated: “Every half second, an image of child sexual abuse is reported online. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Every moment of hesitation is harming a child”.

Swedish MEP Evin Incir joined the stunt to demand urgent protection for children both offline and online, recognising that both the Regulation and the Recast of the Child Sexual Abuse Directive are essential to strengthen protection across the EU.    

Building on this momentum, on Thursday, 16 October, ECLAG also organised the event “Back to basics: Fighting sexual abuse with children at the centre”. Here, policymakers, MEPs, representatives of tech companies and civil society organisations came together to discuss legal and technical solutions to prevent child sexual abuse and promote online safety, focusing on prevention.

During the event, the voices of children resonated powerfully through video messages created by the Eurochild’s newly established NOVA Council. Children shared their ideas and concerns on issues they deeply care about: from cyberbullying and child sexual abuse to age verification.

With this week of action, Eurochild and ECLAG aim to mobilise EU policymakers and raise public awareness about the need to address child sexual abuse now. By putting children’s stories at the centre, we aim to remind everyone that protection cannot wait and that ending child sexual abuse requires cooperation and political will – now, not later.

Look at the photos from the stunt!

*ECLAG is a coalition of over 65 child rights NGOs, dedicated to ending child sexual abuse both online and offline.