MEPs have broadly welcomed new EU moves to combat child abuse.
They were responding to a new agreement between negotiators representing the EU Parliament and Council, the body representing EU member states, on new EU rules against child sexual abuse.
This was decided on Monday.
Members said it was an important step towards stronger protection for children and better access to justice for victims.
The deal updates the Directive on the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children, covering abuse committed offline, online, across borders and through new technologies.
Member States will also be required to provide for stronger penalties for child sexual abuse offences, while sentencing will remain a matter for national courts.
One MEP, Assita Kanko, ECR Shadow Rapporteur in the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, said: “In the EU, an estimated one in 15 children are victims of sexual abuse.”
The MEP added, “This is completely unacceptable. Every victim is one too many. Today, we are emphasising this with an EU agreement on protecting children from child abusers.”
Jeroen Lenaers, the Parliament’s lead negotiator for the law, said, “We can never be ambitious enough when it comes to protecting children, and with this landmark law here, we are taking a massive step forward.
“We have successfully sealed a historic extension of the limitation period for child rape. This means victims across the EU now have the legal right to seek justice until they are at least 50 years old – eliminating short, arbitrary deadlines that allowed abusers to escape punishment.”
“This is a total recast of how Europe fights this evil,” Lenaers added. “We didn’t just update the rules: we strengthened the entire defence network by reinforcing child helplines, establishing free legal aid and increasing penalty levels. We are giving victims and survivors the lifelong support and justice they deserve.”
“Unfortunately, child abusers are innovative. They are highly active online and internationally. This new law makes it a crime across Europe to disseminate artificial intelligence programmes used to create child abuse material. Travelling to other countries with the intent to abuse children will also be punishable throughout the EU.”
Under the deal, the limitation period for the most serious child sexual abuse crimes will be 32 years, starting only once the victim has reached the age of 18.
The Directive will also provide for clearer definitions of offences and new tools to address modern forms of abuse.
“With stricter penalties, longer limitation periods, and clearer definitions, Europe is taking action. Children are finally receiving the protection they are entitled to,” Kanko said.
Kanko continued:“We have found a good balance between respecting the criminal law systems of the Member States and improving the legal protection of child abuse victims. Our children deserve this!”
The Directive is expected to be adopted in a final vote in September. Once formally adopted, Member States will have three years to transpose the new rules into national law.
