HOME OFFICE News
Release (096/2008) issued by The Government News Network on 9 May 2008
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.