Following on from our article on point 5 of EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse:

6. A European centre to prevent and counter child sexual abuse

In point six of the EU strategy, the Commission details its plans to start working towards the possible creation of a European centre to prevent and counter child sexual abuse. The goal of this centre is to enable a comprehensive and effective EU response against child sexual abuse online and offline.

INHOPE believes in the need for a coordinated approach against child sexual abuse. The network uses a secure portal so that hotlines can work together to remove Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). INHOPE’s European Members are one component of the Safer Internet Centres. Safer Internet Centres are made up of hotlines, national awareness centres, and helplines all of which are funded by the European Commission’s Better Internet for Kids programme.

Hotlines are organisations to which the public can report CSAM. While hotlines often also receive reports about other illegal content, the uniting factor among INHOPE Member Hotlines is their handling of suspected online CSAM.

National awareness centres educate children, parents and teachers, by producing prevention materials and working in schools to ensure children are aware of the dangers and are more resilient when they are online.

Helplines give advice to young people, parents and carers on online challenges, such as harmful content, contact and conduct online. They deal with issues such as cyberbullying, grooming and data privacy but also with relationship issues online. They are organised in a network called Insafe.

INHOPE looks forward to collaborating with the new European centre planned by the Commission.

Do you know what the Safer Internet Centre in your country is? Find out about your local hotline, helpline and awareness raising centre here and make sure you and your loved ones know where they can find help if they need it.

Read about Point 7 of the EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse here.

Source: EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse