EU moves to tackle child sex abuse

TOUGHER penalties and greater co-operation between EU member states to tackle child sexual abuse and trafficking in human beings have been proposed by the European Commission.

The proposals go further than existing legislation in many countries and aim to block access to websites containing child pornography, criminalise the grooming of children and prosecute those who avail of child prostitution even if it has taken place outside the EU.

The Commissioner in charge of Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmstrom, said an EU anti-trafficking co-ordinator will be appointed shortly.

Studies suggest between 10%-20% of children in Europe will suffer some form of sexual abuse. The number of websites devoted to child pornography is growing, with 200 images a day being put into circulation showing children being abused and tortured.

“Child victims portrayed in pornography are getting younger, the images are becoming more graphic and violent. Downloading or viewing child pornography on the internet leads to more children being raped to produce those images.

“The response of the EU cannot be too clear or too resolute. Whatever the EU can possibly do against that, the EU must do and will do,” Malmstrom said.

A ban on offenders in one member state from having contact with children should apply across all EU countries, she added.