CONFERENCE ON THE FIGHT AGAINST CHILD ABUSE

On November 5th, under the title “A European Response to Online Child Sexual Abuse,” a conference organized by Portuguese MEP Ana Miguel brought together experts and European lawmakers to reflect on how the European Union can respond to a global and extremely serious issue: online child sexual abuse.

The event featured, among others, law enforcement bodies, Europol experts, representatives of the European Commission, the president of the U.S. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Javier Zarzalejos, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for the Regulation on the protection of minors online.

Zarzalejos expressed his gratitude for the work carried out by security forces and Europol, who are on the front lines of the battle against this scourge, and he highlighted the significant contribution of civil society in the fight against online child abuse.

He explained that this is a common challenge shared with the United States and that, although the approaches may differ, all legislators are aware of the severity and urgency of addressing this phenomenon. “We are no longer talking only about sexual abuse or grooming — there are now networks trying to recruit minors and incite them to harm themselves or join criminal organizations.”

According to the MEP, the situation of minors on the internet has worsened overall, and we cannot say that any of the actors involved have provided a satisfactory response. “Current legislation is not enough, nor are the human and material resources we allocate. Unfortunately, most platforms are not doing enough to prevent these abuses. In the European Union we have still not managed to approve common sectoral legislation and rely solely on national laws, which have proven insufficient. Moreover, public debate is divided between authoritarians and libertarians, and even the tech community is split regarding the viability of the current technologies intended to address this phenomenon,” the MEP explained.

Zarzalejos stressed that, to confront this issue, greater international cooperation is needed, particularly transatlantic cooperation. He noted that NCMEC is an indispensable partner, but warned of the strategic need for the European Union to have its own center, as established under the new Regulation to combat child abuse.

Ultimately, the MEP urged attendees to recognize that today any child with a device connected to the internet is at risk, and that it should be the goal of all legislators to provide an effective and comprehensive response to this challenge.