A Day to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse

Today, together with the rest of the world, we mark a day dedicated to protecting children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
This day serves as a reminder that we must raise awareness, protect children, and fight for a world where every child grows up free from violence and fear.

Child sexual exploitation and abuse are among the gravest violations of children's rights. These crimes can leave deep and lasting consequences—physical, emotional, and psychological —that can affect survivors for the rest of their lives. And behind every statistic is a child whose safety was taken, often by someone they knew and trusted.

According to a new UNICEF report, one in five girls and women, and one in seven boys and men alive today were sexually violated as children. These are children who have been traumatized and left with scars they will carry with them forever. Even more alarming is that a third of abused children never tell anyone what happened. Many remain silent out of shame, fear, or the belief that no one will listen.

That silence is not the child’s fault. It reflects a society that still struggles to listen, believe, and act.

In today's world, technology is a central part of our lives, and while it was designed to connect us, it has unfortunately also brought offenders closer to children. Each year, around 300 million children are harmed through sexual abuse and exploitation that takes place online or is enabled through technology. Phones and apps designed for connection are being misused as doorways for exploitation. This is not a failure of technology; it's a failure to design and regulate it safely.

Research shows that 1 in 15 children (6.7%) in Western Europe report experiencing rape or sexual assault by age 18, which equals to about 5 million children. And the Netherlands alone hosts more than 60% of all online child sexual abuse material in western Europe.

In October of 2007, the Council of Europe introduced the Lanzarote Convention, the first international treaty where states have agreed to criminalize many forms of sexual abuse against children, including abuse occurring within the family. Continuing on this important treaty, in 2015 the Council of Europe declared 18 November as the European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. In 2022, the United Nations recognized this day globally as the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Violence.

Every year, the Council of Europe sets a theme to guide collective effort. This year, the focus is on data collection for effective, evidence-based policies. With so many cases going unreported, it's essential to retrieve reliable data from schools, healthcare, and social services, not only law enforcement.

Countries like India and Sweden are already developing systems to track, report, and act on cases of child abuse. They are inspiring other countries to follow by showing that progress is possible and that it is time to start taking action.

This is the least we owe children.

Child sexual exploitation and abuse exists because we allow the conditions for it to exist — through weak regulation, silence, stigma, and inaction. We can stop it. We can prevent it. But the time to act is now. We cannot ignore what is happening right in front of our eyes anymore.

The responsibility is ours — today.