View the film This short film was produced by the Global Youth-Led Movement on Ending Violence Against Children for the launch of the World Health Organization’s first-ever report on the public health impact of corporal punishment of children (August 2025). For more information and to discuss screenings and other cooperation contact Bryanna Marinas bryanna.marinas@gmail.com The post A Short Film on Corporal (Violent) Punishment: But I Grew Up Fine…Didn’t I? first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.
The Czech Republic has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the protection of children's rights and dignity by fully prohibiting all corporal punishment of children. We are pleased to announce that, as of January 1, 2026, corporal punishment of children will be explicitly prohibited by law. This significant step follows the adoption of an amendment to the Civil Code, which was signed by the President on July 17, 2025. The amendment clearly states that corporal punishment, mental distress, and other degrading measures are incompatible with the human dignity of the child. Specifically, § 884 now provides that a child’s dignity is violated by such practices. Furthermore, § 858 reinforces the duty of parents to care for the child’s physical, emotional, intellectual, and moral development without resorting to corporal punishment or other harmful methods. This reform is the result of a broad societal and political consensus and reflects a shared commitment to promoting positive, non-violent upbringing and strengthening the legal protection of all children. This legislative measure will have significant positive impacts: it strengthens the legal protection of children, sets a clear standard for respectful and non-violent parenting, and supports cultural change towards positive upbringing. It also provides a clearer framework for professionals working with families and helps prevent violence and abuse in all settings. The Czech Government will support its implementation through awareness, education, and cooperation. More information about childhood without violence can be found on the following website: Dětství bez násilí – přímá podpora pro děti a rodiče With this law reform, the Czech Republic becomes the 69th state worldwide to realise children’s rights to protection from all violent punishment. We applaud this landmark progress for children and warmly welcome the implementation measures planned by the Government and its partners to put the law into practice! Together, the prohibition of corporal punishment and its implementation will enable Czechia to make significant progress in eliminating all forms of violence against children in whatever context they occur. With a child population of 1,989,000, prohibition in Czech Republic brings the total number of children worldwide protected by law from corporal punishment to approximately 345 million, or 15% of the global child population. But many children around the world are still waiting to be protected from legalized violence. Considering the global commitment to ending all violence against children in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we call on all remaining governments to enact prohibition as a matter of priority. Find out more: Read our country report for The Czech Republic. Read about progress towards universal prohibition of corporal punishment in Europe. Read our guide to putting prohibition of corporal punishment into practice. The post The Czech Republic prohibits all corporal punishment of children! first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.
A milestone for children in Switzerland – non-violent parenting is enshrined in law On September 26, 2025, both chambers of the Parliament approved the inclusion of non-violent parenting in Swiss law. The Federal Council will decide at the beginning of 2026 when exactly the new law will take effect. One thing is certain: the milestone has finally been reached! From 2026 onwards, slaps, hits, or severe verbal humiliation will no longer be considered acceptable disciplinary methods but rather acts of violence. The legal ambiguity surrounding what forms of discipline are permissible will finally be eliminated. Non-violent parenting as the new norm With the new law, non-violent parenting becomes the norm. Any deviation from this standard calls for attention. Addressed to parents and guardians, the new law states: “In particular, they must raise their children without the use of violence, namely without physical punishment and other forms of degrading treatment.” (our own translation) It is important that psychological violence is also included, as this form of violence is more common in Switzerland than physical violence. And although the law primarily addresses parents, the Federal Council made it clear during the debate in Parliament that the principle of non-violent upbringing also applies to anyone who assumes custody of a child on behalf of the parents. Guidance for parents and support when things get difficult Many parents still use violence in their parenting—not out of conviction, but in moments of exhaustion or being overwhelmed. This is where the new law comes in: it aims to strengthen prevention and improve easy access to counselling and support services for children and parents. The cantons (“states”) are now required to ensure access to counselling services. Today, not all parts of Switzerland offer parents and children equal access to such services. A long political journey Remarkably, the larger parliamentary chamber already said a clear yes to a ban on violence in parenting back in 1992 — some 33 years ago. However, the second chamber rejected the binding proposal at that time. In the following decades, numerous unsuccessful attempts were made to achieve this goal through political means. It was a motion from 2019 that finally led to success. It took long-standing civil society commitment to bring about the necessary societal and political shift in attitude. For a long time, it was widely believed that parenting was purely a private matter and that the state should not interfere. Child Protection Switzerland, one of the leading voices for non-violent parenting, has always made its position clear: “Parenting is a private matter – violence against children is not.” Awareness-raising is still needed The law alone is not enough. As the Federal Council emphasized, the legal establishment of non-violent parenting must be accompanied by awareness-raising campaigns that inform parents about the child’s right to a non-violent upbringing and demonstrate positive, non-violent parenting methods. In the future, such campaigns should be funded by the state rather than left to civil society to finance. The responsibility for sustainable prevention lies with the federal government and the cantons. Civil society’s role will be to remind them of this responsibility. Meanwhile, professional associations working with children and young people are currently working intensively to adapt their guidelines and tools for advising parents and children to the new legal situation. We are very grateful to Child Protection Switzerland for drafting this account of the law reform. With this law reform, Switzerland becomes the 70th state worldwide to realise children’s rights to protection from all violent punishment. We applaud this landmark progress for children and warmly welcome the implementation measures planned by the Government and its partners to put the law into practice! Together, the prohibition of corporal punishment and its implementation will enable Switzerland to make significant progress in eliminating all forms of violence against children in whatever context they occur. With a child population of 1,545,000, prohibition in Switzerland brings the total number of children worldwide protected by law from corporal punishment to approximately 347 million, or 15% of the global child population. But many children around the world are still waiting to be protected from legalized violence. Considering the global commitment to ending all violence against children in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we call on all remaining governments to enact prohibition as a matter of priority. Find out more: Read our country report for Switzerland. Read about progress towards universal prohibition of corporal punishment in Europe. Read our guide to putting prohibition of corporal punishment into practice. The post Switzerland prohibits all corporal punishment of children! first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.
I keep returning to the same question: What part of my story will people finally believe? Which moments are striking enough to make others understand how bad it really was, how profoundly violence against children scars a person, or how invisible a suffering child can be? I have spent a long time looking for the “highlights” of my experience with violence in my childhood because I have learned that without shock, without proof, without a narrative that is tragic enough, people do not listen. That is what my advocacy has been like: trying to show the world what has happened to me and continues to happen to many others, hoping it might convince the right people to care and bring light to what violent realities children experience among us in our everyday lives. When I was beaten up regularly in my childhood, nobody saw me, felt bad for me or held the responsible adults accountable. I always knew the violence was wrong. I felt the injustice with a clarity beyond my age. But knowing the truth did not change the reality: I was still a child being hurt by the people who were supposed to protect me. I was six years old when it started, six years old when I first felt the suffocating combination of despair and betrayal. I had no understanding that helped me to cope with how the people I loved most in the world could hurt me again and again, without guilt, without hesitation, and without my pain meaning anything to them. I was confused, desperate, betrayed. And even though years have passed, my thoughts stayed the same for the majority of my life: when will it be like before? When will it turn back to normal? Why does and did nobody care? If you ask children’s rights organisations or politicians, they will insist that they care deeply, that they are horrified by what happens to children, that they are doing their best. But that simply isn’t true. Helping children is not celebrating world awareness days, running symbolic campaigns, painting children’s faces, or giving away small goods. Helping children means ensuring that laws actually reach them, that protection isn’t theoretical, and that resources aren’t secret knowledge you need to search for, but things every child automatically has access to. Children experiencing violence are already fighting for their lives, yet everyone responsible seems to believe that once a law is passed, every six-year-old will suddenly report their parents, walk into child protective services on their own, and mail a postcard thanking political parties or organisations for their “meaningful work.” I can say directly that no campaign eased my suffering. No ministry speech, no polished statement changed anything for me. That is not to say that everyone is inherently bad. It is to say that accountability is not taken by those who are responsible to protect children. Child protection is not about moving mountains; it is about doing what is necessary without bargaining the seriousness of children’s safety down to something convenient or symbolic. There is no “light version” of helping children. When I was six and despairing after being beaten up, I did not wonder about policy changes or legal frameworks, I wondered why nobody cared. No small symbolic campaign reached me, no ministry press release comforted me, and no children's rights organisation’s self-celebratory list of achievements meant anything. I don't believe it to be any different for the children facing corporal punishment today. Getting beaten up in your childhood does not feel like a collection of separate incidents. It feels like one long, never-ending period of despair and helplessness. I was not being hit 24/7, I had good moments in between. But when the violence came, it left marks and impressions deep enough that the peaceful moments didn't amount to anything. They simply gave me a chance to become hopeful again, only to be shattered the next day and being hit by reality in the truest sense. Your home becomes the most dangerous place, the place where comfort should be, but never is. The places outside feel more like comfort than the arms of your parents, even though being lovingly held by them is what you yearn for more than anything. Every adult who is supposed to protect you becomes a potential traitor, someone whose morality and backbone you cannot rely on. For many, violence in childhood is not a chapter; it is the beginning. The first stones upon which everything else is built. Childhood violence does not show you the bright side of the world. It does not let you feel the beauty of childhood, the safety of innocence, or the fragile joy that children are meant to experience. It breaks you directly from your most vulnerable point and teaches you that the world is dangerous, that safety is an illusion, and that trust is a risk you cannot afford. It shows you that your existence, your “original sin,” in a sense, is simply being born into the wrong place at the wrong time. While other children experience love, acceptance, and protection, you learn only that the world does not want you, that you must earn your worth, and that you are always one misstep away from punishment. I dislike the word “survivor.” I did not survive anything in a triumphant sense. My story is and never will be a success story. Nothing about having a crime committed against you is empowering. Turning childhood violence into some kind of character-building experience, something that “toughened” you, is cruel in its own form. The world keeps trying to empower those affected by violence, but often, the message sounds like: your suffering made you strong. That is simply not true and recognising this is an honest, yet bitter act to highlight violence's cruel nature and aftermath. An honesty necessary to address this issue. When I speak about the need to bring attention to violence against children, I often get asked what the final goal is. Many do not seem to understand that for me, awareness is the goal in itself. The affected need to know they are not alone. They need to know that someone cares. They need to hear conversations that prove the issue is not forgotten, not hidden behind closed doors, not something adults talk about only after tragedies occur, but something that's talked about in front of all doors and the public, the only place where accountability can take place. Back then, I needed visibility. I needed to see people talking about what was happening to children like me. I needed to know that somewhere, someone would help me without making my life harder. I am certain nothing has changed about that for the many who are in the same position now. This is also why I'm speaking up against corporal punishment. I want to make my six-year-old self be seen and everyone who is suffering or suffered like me visible in the world, so that suffering children who are close to giving up on themselves will catch a glimpse of the news and see someone who speaks loudly on our right to be seen, to be protected and to hold society accountable. Making people aware, however simple it may sound, is the only way to make abused children visible and close the gap between resources and laws and the children who depend on them. Child protection has to stop being a theoretical discussion on NGO panels building on inoperable laws and take the bull by its horns to finally address it as a verb, an action to which we need to put the issue right in front of the public's eye that avoiding societal responsibility and shame from inaction aren't an option. Children are born full of joy and dreams. The world crushes most of us eventually, but the least we could do is protect the short years of childhood, to allow children to be children. A time when they are innocent, when they are hopeful, when their happiness and laughs are still the highest good. The least we could do is make sure that violence never becomes the foundation of their entire lives, not like it has become mine and a billion others. And that is not a conversation for tomorrow, but for whenever we realise that while we can postpone it for another time, the abused children cannot. My name is Nehir Ayral, I’m 21 years old, and I speak out against corporal punishment, not as a personal tragedy, but as a failure of society affecting more than a billion of children worldwide. ... Other than that, I'm also a political science student based in Berlin, Germany. ... ... LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/nehir-ayral Mail: info@endcorporalpunishment.org The post Yesterday was a good day to take accountability, but today is just as promising: a personal testimony of corporal punishment first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.
PRESS RELEASE Bangkok, Thailand – January 21, 2026 Launch of Child Protection Campaign in the Lead-Up to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Big events with a large audience and festive atmosphere represent risks of trafficking and sexual exploitation for children and teens. Businesses—transport, accommodation, booking platforms, or entertainment—around the FIFA World Cup stadiums face a heightened risk of their services and operations being misused by perpetrators, while travellers may not feel confident enough to overcome barriers to reporting. This is why the #WeProtectChildren campaign is engaging businesses to mitigate these risks by creating protective environments for children while empowering travellers to spot and report child sexual exploitation. “FIFA would like to commend ECPAT International and the Down to Zero Alliance, together with PACT – Protect All Children from Trafficking (USA), the International Bureau for Children’s Rights – IBCR (Canada), ECPAT Mexico and some Members of The Code supporting the #WeProtectChildren campaign. As the International Football Regulatory Body and organiser of the world’s largest sporting event, we encourage such positive initiatives to complement the safeguarding measures that we put in place for our accreditation holders and to address the broader social aspects during the World Cup.” — FIFA Representative. Why Protecting Children and Teens Matters During the FIFA World Cup While millions of visitors flock to host cities simultaneously, travel and tourism venues, including hotels, restaurants, transport hubs, and accommodation platforms, can be misused by perpetrators to groom and exploit children (any person up to 18 years old). Unfamiliar reporting systems and language barriers can prevent travellers from recognising or reporting concerning behaviour. The campaign tackles these issues with a unifying message: One team. One Goal. What Makes This Campaign Impactful The campaign aims to build a global network of business allies and The Code members across the travel and tourism sector. Hotels, restaurants, taxis, and airlines can display campaign materials at their venues and through their channels, turning every participating business into a member of one team with one goal: protecting children from sexual exploitation. Travellers receive tips on what to watch for and are encouraged to report any suspicious situations they may observe from airport arrival to taxi rides, and from stadium gates to hotel check-out. Men are invited to be part of the team by showing care, empathy and support to children and youth. Campaign Launch The campaign officially launches on January 21, 2026, with a webinar bringing together business leaders, tourism authorities, travellers, and community advocates to join the campaign. “Travel and tourism businesses are uniquely positioned to protect children through their day-to-day operations—across in-person interactions, financial transactions, and online activity,” said Guillaume Landry, Executive Director at ECPAT International. “Protecting children is not only the right thing to do; it is the foundation of building a truly sustainable tourism ecosystem—in preparation to, during and beyond big sport events”. Businesses can register as campaign partners and access free campaign assets through the campaign page. Travellers can find relevant reporting channels in the USA, Canada, and Mexico through the same platform, access the campaign materials and show their support by sharing posts on social media. —— Campaign Lead Gabriela Kühn Head of Private Sector and Child Protection ECPAT International gabrielak@ecpat.org About ECPAT International ECPAT International is a global network of over 140 civil society organisations across more than 100 countries, united in the mission to end the sexual exploitation of children. With over 30 years of experience, the network works at national, regional, and global levels to advocate for a world where every child is free from sexual exploitation. ECPAT International is the implementing partner for the Down to Zero Alliance. About the Down to Zero Alliance The Down to Zero Alliance is committed to the protection of children and the prevention of sexual exploitation in 12 countries in Asia and Latin America. Terre des Hommes Netherlands (lead), Child Rights Coalition Asia (CRC Asia), Conexión, Defence for Children – ECPAT, Free A Girl and Plan International work together in the Down to Zero Alliance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands to address the sexual exploitation of children. The post Launch of Child Protection Campaign in the Lead-Up to the FIFA World Cup 2026 appeared first on ECPAT.
Dear decision-makers, We, 109 signatories, urge you to put children’s online safety first and pass robust legislation to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation across Europe. The EU has a critical opportunity to be a world leader in protecting children online, but continued inaction and lack of ambition means Europe persists as a safe haven for perpetrators. Without strong laws, Europe will leave millions of children unprotected on online platforms and allow imagery of their abuse to circulate indefinitely online. For more than three years, EU leaders have debated the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR) – a law designed to protect children from online sexual abuse. In that time, Europe’s child sexual abuse crisis has escalated dramatically: reports of grooming, sexual extortion and AI-generated child abuse material have risen exponentially across Europe. We are deeply concerned that efforts to protect children from sexual exploitation and repeated victimisation have been derailed by a campaign built on misinformation about the technologies involved, alongside a refusal to acknowledge the scale and nature of the harm this regulation is intended to address. In Europe, more than three in five parents think that politicians and technology companies are not taking children’s online safety seriously enough. 4 in 5 EU citizens support requiring online service providers to detect, report, and remove child sexual abuse online. The CSAR is an essential step toward ensuring stronger protection for children against sexual abuse. You have an opportunity to establish Europe as a global champion for children’s online safety. We urge you to advance an effective, comprehensive and ambitious text. Europe has both the potential and responsibility to lead by example. Privacy and child protection are compatible. Children have the right not to have their bodily privacy violated, abused, and shared endlessly online. Every user has the right not to encounter traumatic and degrading pictures and videos of children being sexually abused. The solution is within your power. We call on you, as our elected representatives, to act with ambition, put children first, and ensure a robust CSAR is promptly adopted. Together we can end the child sexual abuse crisis and protect children from further harm. SIGNED “Hope For Children” CRC Policy Center AFEM Albanian National Child Helpline – ALO 116 111 Alliance for the Rights of the Child Andrew Briercliffe, Child Safety Online Andrew Campling, 419 Consulting Ltd. APEM – Associação Portuguesa de Estudos sobre as Mulheres Ariel Foundation International Asociace Dítě a Rodina, z.s. Associação P de Potência Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family Austrian Network for Children´s Rights Awel Bernhard Geiser Børns Vilkår Brave France Breza Association, Croatia CAMELEON Association Camille Cooper Catherine Brown Centar za nestalu i zlostavljanu djecu – CNZD Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Serbia Centrs Dardedze Child Focus Child Helpline International Childlight – Global Child Safety Institute Childnet International Childproof/CIPOF Children in Scotland ChildX COFACE CONCORDIA Social Projects CRCA-ECPAT Albania CTV Production CyberSafeKids Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands Dr Carmen Kealy Dr Danielle Kennan Dr Inguna Ebela Dr. Lucija Vejmelka ECPAT Austria ECPAT France ECPAT Germany ECPAT International ECPAT Norway ECPAT Sweden eLiberare ELIEN REBIRTH EOS – Associação de Estudos, Cooperação e Desenvolvimento Erikshjälpen (ERIKS Development Partner) Estonian Union for Child Welfare ÉTHÉLIOS Eurochild FICE Croatia First Children’s Embassy in the World MEGJASHI Fondation pour l’Enfance Fondazione S.O.S. Il Telefono Azzurro ETS Free a Girl Netherlands FUNDACION ANAR Giada Coffari Hintalovon Foundation-ECPAT Hungary Hrabi Telefon IFSW Europe Instituto de Apoio à Criança International Child Development Initiatives – ICDI International Justice Mission Deutschland International Justice Mission Netherlands International Justice Mission Inc. Internet Safe Kids Africa Internet Watch Foundation ISPCC Italian Coordination of the European Women’s Lobby John Carr OBE Kék Vonal Child Crisis Foundation Kids of Ukraine Charity Fund kjt Latvian Child Welfare Network Latvian Protect the Children Les Ami(e)s de Romy Linka detskej istoty / Child Safety Line Slovakia Lobby Europeo de Mujeres en España Marie Collins Foundation Missing Children Europe Mulher Século XXI – Associação de Desenvolvimento e Apoio às Mulheres Myriam Hunfeld Netsweeper Inc. Network for Children’s Rights (Greece) NGO Dignity Online Nick Newman OKAJU (Ombudsman for Children and Adolescents) Pancyprian Coordinating Committee for the Protection and Welfare of Children (PCCPWC) Plataforma Portuguesa para os Direitos das Mulheres (PpDM) / Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights Pressley Ridge Hungary Foundation Protect Children Qoria Save the Children SHIELD – APS SISTERS – for the exit from prostitution! e.V. South West Grid for Learning / UK Safer Internet Centre Stichting De Kindertelefoon Stiftung Digitale Chancen Terre des Hommes Netherlands The Brave Movement The Smile of the Child Thorn Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health VSE WeProtect Global Alliance YYouth The post Open Letter: Protect Children’s Online Safety in Europe appeared first on ECPAT.
Joint Statement Calling upon Governments to Step Up Extraterritorial Cooperation to End the Sexual Exploitation of Children We, the undersigned civil society organisations, call upon governments to systematically address the sexual exploitation and abuse of children in cross-border contexts, including situations involving travel and tech-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse, with perpetrators exploiting loopholes within national jurisdictions. Cases of child sexual exploitation involving nationals of various countries have been documented, calling for urgent prevention efforts both online and on the ground. Tacteen Naeil – ECPAT Korea Issue Report revealed the scale of sexual exploitation of children by Korean nationals overseas. The report by the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) estimated that 20,000 Dutch men travel abroad every year to sexually exploit children. The Japanese Embassy in Laos warned about the rise of cases of sexual exploitation of children. A recent case of an arrest of a national from Japan who repeatedly travelled to Laos to exploit children shows that stepping up coordinated action across countries and regions is urgently required to end impunity of offenders. A recent German court case involves a citizen who traveled to 13 countries to exploit children and produce video materials. In the United Kingdom, a national was sentenced for accessing child sexual abuse livestreams from the Philippines. In Poland, recent news reports have also exposed Warsaw as a one of the hubs in Eastern Europe for trafficking children to the USA, as documented in investigations into the Epstein network. Sexual exploitation of children is a grave violation of human rights and a crime that knows no borders. Perpetrators are able to continue exploiting children not only as the result of weak extraterritorial enforcement, limited cooperation between states and law enforcement and inconsistent accountability for crimes committed abroad, but also because prevailing social norms and attitudes minimise the seriousness of these crimes and shift blame onto children. Together, these factors leave children subjected to abuse and exploitation unprotected, and denied justice. Yet States already have clear obligations under international law to address these crimes and their cross-border nature. The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child calls on States to establish jurisdiction based on active and passive personality, including over habitual residents. The Committee on the Rights of the Child has further recommended that States establish universal jurisdiction for all offences included in the Protocol, particularly in light of the growing use of technologies to commit sexual offences against children. We therefore call upon governments to urgently strengthen extraterritorial cooperation and take coordinated action to prevent, investigate, and prosecute sexual exploitation of children, regardless of where the crime occurs. This includes, to: Enforce extraterritorial jurisdiction to ensure both nationals and residents are held accountable for sexual crimes against children committed abroad. Strengthen international cooperation through timely information-sharing, mutual legal assistance, and joint investigations between law enforcement and judicial authorities. Put children and survivors at the center by investing in survivor-centered justice, ensuring that children receive protection and access to services, and are not blamed for the exploitation they were subjected to, because it is #NeverTheirFault. Strengthen prevention through cross-country communication campaigns on child protection. Preventing sexual exploitation before it occurs by regulating business, including ICT industry, financial services, and travel and tourism industry across the sectors including hotels, restaurants, transport, booking platforms and private accommodation, as well as addressing online facilitation, and holding private actors accountable. Ending the sexual exploitation of children requires political will, clear legal frameworks, and effective cross-border collaboration. Governments, businesses, and communities must work together to protect children everywhere – in all countries. Governments must act decisively to close jurisdictional loopholes and ensure that no perpetrator can escape responsibility by crossing a border. Children everywhere have the right to safety, dignity, and justice. We urge governments to step up their commitments in the regions as gaps continue to remain, and work across borders to end sexual exploitation of children. For more information, refer to: Global Progress Towards Ending the Sexual Exploitation of Children. Overview on Extraterritoriality and Extradition Legislation for Offences of Sexual Exploitation of Children and Issue Paper on Extraterritorial Jurisdiction and Extradition Legislation. Terminology Guidelines – Language shapes action. Outdated and inaccurate terms like “child prostitute” or “child pornography” shift blame onto children and distort public understanding. The Code as a global initiative engaging responsible businesses to protect children. Endorsing organisations: ECPAT International The Down to Zero Alliance committed to the protection of children and the prevention of sexual exploitation in 12 countries in Asia and Latin America. Defence for Children – ECPAT the Netherlands Terre des Hommes Netherlands Tacteen Naeil-ECPAT Korea Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT), USA Empowering Children Foundation, Poland ECPAT France – Mettre fin à l’exploitation sexuelle des enfants ECPAT Germany ECPAT Guatemala ECPAT Norway ECPAT Sri Lanka ECPAT Türkiye ECPAT Taiwan ECPAT UK CHS Alternativo-ECPAT Perú ChildSafeNet, Nepal End CSEC Network Malaysia (ECPAT Malaysia) Fundación Munasim Kullakita, Bolivia Fundación PANIAMOR, Costa Rica Association Burkinabé pour la Survie de l’Enfance (ABSE), Burkina Faso Emmanuel Development Association (EDA), Ethiopia PA Legal Center for Women’s Initiatives “Sana Sezim”, Kazakhstan Public Health Foundation of Georgia Ramola Bhar Charitable Trust, Project: STOP, India Association for Sustainable Development Livelihood Initiatives (“SUSTAIN Cameroon”) NGO Public Movement “Faith, Hope, Love”, Ukraine Comhlámh, Ireland PAHCHAAN (Protection and Help of Children Against Abuse and Neglect), Pakistan Fundación Renacer, Colombia ECPAT Indonesia Pakistan Pediatric Association (Child Rights Group), Pakistan Ubuchingo Defence for Children—Zambia Kenya Alliance for Advancement of Children (KAACR) Africa Inland Child Community Agency for Development (AICCAD) Action Now Kenya Action for Sustainable Change (AFOSC-Kenya) Kenya Muslim Charitable Society Baridi Kwa Baridi Women CBO-Busia Horn of Africa Institute (HAI) ECPAT Mongolia Restoration of Life Centre, Kenya Birth and Beyond CBO, Kenya Centrs Dardedze, Latvia Webfala Digital Skills for all Initiative, Nigeria MECPATHS, Ireland Protect Us Kids Foundation, United States Polaris Asso, Dakar REDO Kenya Isiolo Community Development Trust, Kenya Unique Shelter Support Network, Kenya Neglected Children and Women Foundation – ECPAT Bulgaria IBCR (International Bureau for Children’s Rights), Canada Centro de Estudios Sociales y Culturales Antonio de Montesinos AC, Mexico Centro de Atención en Psicología Integral, Mexico REDIM (Red por los Derechos de la Infancia en México), Mexico Add your organisation’s endorsement: https://forms.office.com/r/bJfKvWfrPu The post Joint Statement Calling upon Governments to Step Up Extraterritorial Cooperation to End the Sexual Exploitation of Children appeared first on ECPAT.
Child rights networks and organisations across the globe collectively condemn what the continued revelations surrounding the Epstein case have laid bare: a horrific pattern of systemic failure to protect children and young people. What continues to emerge are cycles of sexual violence, abuse, and exploitation, upheld by patriarchal structures that treat women and children as objects. This case has exposed, yet again, a system that prioritises power over justice, and perpetrators over victims. At the heart of this are children and young people who were subjected to exploitation, abuse, and profound violations by people who weaponised their wealth and influence. We recognise the courage it takes to come forward, and we stand in solidarity with all those affected by sexual violence and trafficking. What enabled this abuse to occur and persist? Power imbalances gone unchecked, little to no accountability, weak safeguarding mechanisms, normalisation of abuse and exploitation, and cultures of silence. We firmly believe that: Survivors of sexual violence during childhood, of all genders, must come first Survivors must be heard, supported, and protected from further harm and retraumatisation Survivors have the right to dignity, privacy, and justice Perpetrators must be held accountable by justice systems without exceptions or delays Violence against children can be an organised crime Institutions, public and private, have a responsibility to uphold the highest safeguarding standards Justice processes must be transparent, independent, and survivor-centred We urge all relevant authorities to ensure that investigations and any release of information prioritise the safety, dignity, and rights of survivors of sexual violence during childhood. This case is a painful reminder that safeguarding is not optional, it is a fundamental responsibility shared by governments, institutions, civil society, and communities. Accountability for perpetrators is foundational to a functioning and robust child protection system. We remain committed to working with our members and partners worldwide to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, challenging the systems that enable it, and ensure that every child can grow up safe within a caring family. Signed by: Family for Every Child ECPAT International PACT — Protect All Children from Trafficking (USA) Urban Light (Thailand) Ignite Philanthropy Global Social Service Workforce Alliance Together for Girls Child Helpline International No Means No WorldWide Child Rights International Network (CRIN) The post Joint Statement From Child Rights Networks and Organisations on the Epstein Case appeared first on ECPAT.
Brussels, 10 March 2026 For more than a decade, online services have voluntarily deployed well-established technologies to detect, report and remove child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These systems, while privacy-preserving, are a foundational layer of protection for children online. Today, these protections exist because the temporary derogation from certain provisions of the ePrivacy Directive (“the Interim Regulation”) provides the legal certainty that allows companies to continue voluntary detection efforts. That protection is at risk. The Steering Group of the European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG) and DOT Europe urge Members of the European Parliament to ensure the swift adoption of the extension of the temporary derogation without weakening its scope. The extension proposed by the European Commission – and supported by Member States – is simple: it maintains the current legal framework so that companies can continue voluntarily detecting, reporting and removing child sexual abuse material while negotiations on the long-term Child Sexual Abuse Regulation continue. Proposals in the European Parliament to restrict this extension equate to instructing platforms to dismantle core elements of their child protection systems. Limiting voluntary detection only to previously identified material, and removing the ability to detect new abuse material or grooming, would represent a profound step backwards for child safety with immediate and tangible consequences for child protection: Unknown CSAM detection is how new victims are found, enabling them to receive support. Restricting detection to known material would allow newly created abuse imagery to circulate unchecked. Removing grooming detection would eliminate a critical prevention tool. We have seen what happens when legal certainty disappears. In the period before the Interim Regulation was adopted, reports of child sexual abuse from EU-based companies to the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children dropped by 58% because companies lacked a clear legal basis to continue detection. A similar collapse in reporting must not happen again. The scale of online child sexual abuse is only growing and new technologies – including AI tools capable of generating photorealistic illegal images and videos – are accelerating the threat landscape. Its purpose is to maintain the status quo until a permanent framework is agreed. ECLAG and DOT Europe call on Members of the European Parliament to: Support a full extension of the Interim Regulation, in line with the European Commission proposal and Member State position. Preserve the current scope, including the voluntary detection of known and unknown child sexual abuse material and grooming. Ensure legal certainty for at least two years, so companies can continue to invest in and operate child safety systems without interruption. Turning off these systems will not stop abuse. It will mean abuse continues unobstructed and children go unseen. We urge parliamentarians to prevent the deconstruction of child protection mechanisms that have helped safeguard children online for more than a decade. The post Joint Call on European Parliament to Allow the Continuation of Current Child Sexual Abuse Detection Practices appeared first on ECPAT.
On 3 April 2026, online service providers in the European Union will no longer be able to detect child sexual abuse content on their platforms. A letter signed by ECPAT International and 246 organisations working to advance children’s rights and end sexual abuse, across all EU Member States and beyond, strongly condemn EU policymakers’ failure to extend the current temporary legal framework that enabled these detection activities. This failure creates an alarming and unacceptable gap in child protection. The consequences will be devastating, in Europe and beyond. To address the millions of images and videos of child sexual abuse circulating online, detection at scale is essential. It allows online platforms to spot and report abuse to law enforcement, triggering investigations that identify victims and hold perpetrators accountable. It also enables companies to remove illegal material and prevent its further spread: over the past years, 99% of the millions of images and videos reported were submitted by platforms using detection technology. Through these efforts, thousands of victims are identified each year and millions of abusive files are taken out of circulation. Without detection, reports of child sexual abuse material will drop dramatically. During a previous lapse in the legal framework in 2021, reports of child sexual abuse material dropped by 58%. Law enforcement authorities will lose critical leads, hindering investigations and leaving children trapped in abusive situations. At the same time, illegal content will continue to circulate unchecked, forcing victims to relive their abuse each time material is viewed or shared. Behind every image and video is a child subjected to repeated violations of their fundamental rights, including their right to dignity and to privacy. Every day without detection means more harm, more victims, and thousands of abusive images and videos spreading freely. Protecting children is not optional. It is a legal and moral obligation under EU and international law. Public support for detection measures has remained consistently strong across the European Union over the past 5 years. A joint poll by ECPAT and NSPCC, surveying over 25,000 European citizens, found that more than 4 over 5 support measures requiring online service providers to detect, report, and remove child sexual abuse online – confirming earlier ECPAT findings and Eurobarometer data. A recent survey by the Internet Watch Foundation further reinforces this strong public backing for platforms’ detection of abusive content. Children themselves are urging platforms and government to take more responsibility to guarantee their privacy, protection and safety online. Policymakers must act on this mandate. The European Union must act now to close this gap and uphold its duty to protect children. Children must not continue to pay the price of political deadlock. Isaline Wittorski, Project Lead for ECPAT International said: “Children we surveyed said they feel left alone to ensure their safety online – and rightly so. We are shocked that EU politicians are failing them. For over a decade, the detection of child sexual abuse content has been a cornerstone of keeping children safe online. Stepping back from it is deeply irresponsible. Children will now pay the price of this deadlock, especially victims whose abuse will continue to circulate unchecked. EU leaders must act swiftly to minimise this appalling detection gap.” The letter, spearheaded by the European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG) and signed by leading experts in child rights calls on EU policymakers to act urgently to adopt a robust and permanent legal framework that ensures the continued detection of child sexual abuse online. The post This is no April Fool’s joke: Europe is switching its detection of child sexual abuse online off appeared first on ECPAT.
