Child abuse: 7th European Day against Sexual Exploitation. CoE, pay attention to the “circle of trust”.

Two days before the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (18 November), the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE), Marija Pejčinović Burić, urged the States to step up their efforts to ensure that every child’s “circle of trust” (made up of the people trusted by a child at home, school, sports and leisure facilities) is made as safe as possible. Indeed, “for children, the risk of sexual abuse comes primarily from the people they trust”, the Secretary General said. To ensure that places are safer, we need to carefully check the “background of people who work with children, educating children and parents on the risks of sexual abuse, training professionals on how to detect and report abuse, and making investigations and court proceedings child-friendly”. It is precisely the “circle of trust” the focus of this 7th edition of the Day, whose goal is to shed light not only on sexual abuse, but also on all instances of abuse where an adult uses a position of trust, authority or influence with a child. Extensive material is provided by the CoE to fight this terrible scourge.
Sarah Numico