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UK signs up to new global approach in protecting children from sexual abuse
Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker today stepped up the Government's commitment to the global protection of young people, having signed the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. The signature coincided with the second anniversary of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
The Convention sets standards to ensure that countries criminalise the sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adopt similar standards of investigation and prosecution of these crimes. It also includes measures on exchanging the identity of convicted sex offenders with other countries. The UK is aiming to ratify the Convention as soon as possible and it will come into effect once ratified by five of the signature countries.
Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said:
"The sexual exploitation and abuse of children is a global problem and this makes global co-operation essential in combating these terrible crimes. Working together with our international partners can help us achieve this by allowing us to share expertise and experience so that we can develop a shared response to a shared problem.
"The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre has over the last two years been at the forefront of the global response to sexual exploitation with the aim of protecting children from exploitation, wherever they may be in the world, and encouraging other countries to accept their responsibilities.
"I am delighted to underline the Government's commitment to this aim with the UK's signature of the Convention. We already comply with many of the measures and where there are steps that we need to take, we will do so as soon as possible."
Children's Minister Kevin Brennan said:
"We are
determined to do everything we can to stamp out all types of abuse
and harm to children including sexual exploitation. We have
committed to publishing updated advice for professionals working
with children on how to spot sexual exploitation and support and
protect young people at risk.
"Our Staying Safe Action Plan sets out our commitment to the Government's co-ordinated strategy on prostitution, which includes work on prevention, protection, support and ensuring justice in relation to child sexual exploitation. This work will further strengthen the UK's compliance with the Convention."
NSPCC head of policy and public affairs Natalie Cronin said:
"This is a great step forward in the protection of children from sexual abuse and exploitation. Closer co-operation between European countries is essential, including to help close loopholes that sex offenders can take advantage of. The NSPCC would like to see all European countries sign and ratify this convention as soon as possible."
As a response to the Convention, the Government has amended the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to remove the condition of dual criminality in relation to sexual offences committed by British nationals against children overseas.
This means that a British national will not be able to target a particular country with less stringent protection of children than England and Wales or Northern Ireland - Scotland has indicated its intention to make a similar legislative change.
We will now be able to prosecute UK nationals here for a sexual offence committed against a child anywhere in the world, so long as the act committed would be a relevant offence in this country. We have also raised the age of a child for these purposes from 16 to 18. This has all been achieved through the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill which received Royal Assent on Thursday 8 May.
Notes to Editors:
1. More information on the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse can be found at: http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/legal_co-operation/Fight_against_sexual_exploitation_of_children/
2. Further details of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill can be found at: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2007-08/criminaljusticeandimmigration.html
3. More on the work of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre can be found at: http://www.ceop.gov.uk
4. The NSPCC is the UK's leading children's charity specialising in child protection and the prevention of cruelty to children. The NSPCC's purpose is to end cruelty to children FULL STOP. Its vision is of a society where all children are loved, valued and able to fulfil their potential. The NSPCC runs 180 projects and services across the United Kingdom and Channel Islands, including ChildLine, the UK's free, confidential 24-hour helpline for children and young people. The NSPCC helps over 10,000 children and their families every year.
