The Council of Europe Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, also known as “the Lanzarote Convention”, requires criminalisation of all kinds of sexual offences against children. It sets out that states in Europe and beyond shall adopt specific legislation and take measures to prevent sexual violence, to protect child victims and to prosecute perpetrators.

The “Lanzarote Committee” (i.e. the Committee of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse) is the body established to monitor whether Parties effectively implement the Lanzarote Convention. To do so, the Committee evaluates the information which has been provided by the national authorities and other sources in their replies to questionnaires developed by the Committee itself.  This monitoring procedure is divided by rounds, each round concerning a theme; starting with sexual abuse in the circle of trust.  

All 47 Council of Europe member states have signed and 38 states have ratified the Convention (Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Turkey, Ukraine)

“Sexual assault against children is an urgent human rights issue and fighting it should be a political priority”. (Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, 2011)

“No violence against children is justifiable; all violence against children is preventable”. (UN Global Study on Violence Against Children, 2006)

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