A Europe-wide Coalition demands action on Child Sexual Abuse Regulation in front of the European Parliament
Today, survivors, young people, child rights organisations, and other advocates from across the European Union met in Brussels to ask leaders to ‘clean up the internet’ from sexual predators and protect children online.
In a defiant stunt to capture the attention of decision-makers, wearing “Child Safety ON” hazmat suits and warning signs, activists highlighted the dangers of the internet for children and called on EU leaders to use their political power to pass the proposed EU Regulation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse.
Statistics show a frightening constant increase in the use of the internet by sexual predators to groom children and share child sexual abuse materials, targeting more and more very young children, toddlers and babies. The action comes as new data from the European Commission’s Eurobarometer found that Europeans are widely and strongly supportive of the bid to protect children online:
- 92% agree that children are increasingly at risk online.
- 82% agree that tools like parental control are not enough to keep children safe online
- 78% support or strongly support the Commission’s proposal to fight child sexual abuse
Across Europe, over 100 young people, child abuse survivors, celebrities, academics and child safety experts have come together to sign an open letter calling for EU lawmakers to pass the European Commission’s CSA proposal.
The proposed EU legislation would require online service providers to prevent, detect, report, and remove child sexual abuse online. It would also establish an EU Centre to prevent and counter child sexual abuse, where child rights professionals, tech experts, survivors, and law enforcement would work together to tackle this cross-border crime.
Fabiola Bas Palomares, Eurochild Policy & Advocacy Officer on Online Safety, said: ‘We must not lose sight of the objective, which is protecting children. We ask decision-makers to honor their duty to prioritise the best interests of the child and grant this Regulation the power to truly protect millions of children from child sexual abuse and grooming online.’
