NEWS
At its 42nd plenary meeting, held in Strasbourg in 11-13 of June 2024, the Lanzarote Committee (Committee of Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse), granted observer status to Protect Children.
This recognition marks a significant milestone for Protect Children, as it underlines our organisations' dedication and ongoing efforts to prevent and end child sexual abuse and exploitation. This status allows our organisation to participate in the Lanzarote Committee's discussions, and is an outstanding opportunity for us to contribute to international efforts in safeguarding children and advocating for stronger child protection measures.
"We are deeply grateful to the Lanzarote Committee for granting our organisation observer status. We are committed to serving the Committee with our comprehensive legal expertise and international research-based holistic work to prevent and end sexual violence against children", expressed our Executive Director Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen.
Insights from the 42nd plenary meeting of the Lanzarote Committee
Our Executive Director, Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen, and Deputy Director and Legal Specialist, Anna Ovaska, attended the 42nd meeting of the Lanzarote Committee, where they presented our latest research and insights into combating online child sexual abuse and exploitation. Particularly, they shared key findings from our research report Statutes of Limitations and Sexual Violence Against Children: Findings from the Global ‘Our Voice’ Survivor Survey with a Case Study on Finnish Survivors’ Experiences. This research report explores the experiences of survivors of sexual violence in childhood with disclosure, and presents the responses of adult survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation to the Global Our Voice Survivor Survey, supported by the Justice Initiative, and a specific case study on Finnish survivors.
Both our research report on statute of limitations and the global Our Voice survivor survey were incorporated in the recently adopted Lanzarote Committee's Opinion on Article 33 of the Lanzarote Convention, which includes requirements of the provision on statute of limitations and recommendations on its implementation.
Protect Children
Protect Children is a non-governmental child-rights organisation based in Finland, working globally to end all forms of sexual violence against children. We adopt a holistic, research-based approach to address the issue from multiple angles, advocating for victims, survivors, and families; equipping children and young people with essential skills and knowledge to stay safe online and offline; developing offender-focused prevention measures; and conducting innovative research to better understand the issue.
Learn more about Protect Children: www.protectchildren.fi/en