The world community is concerned about the rapid increase in the number of cases of sexual exploitation and violence against children (SEVAC) on the Internet during the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, on October 5, a webinar on this issue was held with the support of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine within the regional project "Put an end to sexual exploitation and violence against children on the Internet in Europe" (EndOCSEA@Europe).
The event was attended by experts from the Council of Europe, the National Police of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, prosecutors and court workers, representatives of the National Academy of Internal Affairs, as well as other government agencies and NGOs working in this field.
The webinar covered a number of developments related to SEVAC standards on the Internet, including information on the possession of materials on sexual abuse of children, the features of electronic evidence on SEVAC on the Internet and the protection of child victims and witnesses in criminal proceedings. The participation of national educational institutions in such activities provides an opportunity to improve the relevant national curricula in the context of a module prepared by EndOCSEA, which will be adapted to national conditions.
During the webinar, Raika Vlahovych, former British Prosecutor, Independent Expert of the Council of Europe, and Maria Andriani Kostopoulou, Lawyer, Independent Expert of the Council of Europe, gave a presentation on “Definitions, tendencies of SEVAC on the Internet and Related Criminal Procedures: focus on materials related to child sexual abuse and grooming”, “Investigations on SEVAC on the Internet - Measures to Obtain Electronic Evidence in the Context of SEVAC on the Internet”, “Comprehensive Support for Victims and Witnesses”.
In her speech, Maria Andriani Costopoulou repeatedly emphasized on the provisions of the Lanzarote Convention, the cases of the European Court and international experience in combating violence against children, child exploitation and child prostitution, as any harm caused by such phenomena is global for children. It is also important to prevent re-victimization of victims, to provide them with free access to legal aid, and to explain their rights in an accessible way. The issue of taking into account the gender, cultural, age and other characteristics of children during the interrogation was considered separately.
At the end of the event, the organizers expressed hope for further cooperation in the project "Putting an end to sexual exploitation and violence against children on the Internet in Europe" and invited everyone to participate in webinars scheduled for the end of this year.
International Cooperation Unit,
Department of Criminal Procedure, NAIA
