Press release
Minister McEntee announces Government approval for the Ratification of the Lanzarote Convention
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, TD, has today announced that Government has approved the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (The Lanzarote Convention).
The Convention is a significant, international, legal instrument in protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
Speaking after Cabinet, the Minister said:
"Sexual exploitation and sexual abuse has devastating consequences for child victims, their families and as society as a whole.
"Protecting children is a key priority for this government, and ratifying the Convention delivers an important message that Ireland is committed to the fight against these reprehensible crimes which target some of the most vulnerable in our society."
The Lanzarote Convention is a Council of Europe instrument to prevent and combat sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, to protect the rights of child victims of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, and to promote national and international co-operation against such conduct.
The Minister added:
"Following yesterday’s approval by Government to ratify the Convention, we will proceed immediately toward formal ratification with the Council of Europe. Today’s approval is the result of much work from many people over a number of years, and ratification is not the end of our efforts.
"The government will continue to work to implement important protections for children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse and will continue critical work to hold perpetrators to account. The prevalence of this violence means we that cannot lessen our efforts.
"Ratification of the Lanzarote Convention is another step in our committed fight against these crimes on the national and international stage."
ENDS
The Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, commonly known as the ‘Lanzarote Convention’, is a significant legal instrument in combatting sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children. The Convention was formally adopted by the Committee of Minister’s Deputies at the Council of Europe on 25 October 2007. The Convention entered into force 1 July 2010.
States that have ratified the Convention are legally bound by its provisions once it enters into force.
The Convention is a broad based document which covers a number of departments’ policy areas.
The purposes of the Convention are to:
The Convention provides inter alia for:
Ireland signed the Lanzarote Convention in October 2007. Prior to signing the Convention, much of Irish legislation and administrative practice already implemented many of the provisions contained in the Lanzarote Convention. The outstanding actions identified as being required for ratification were identified and implemented through a series of administrative actions and by the enactment of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017.
This Act strengthens existing law relating to the sexual exploitation of children, including child pornography. New offences under the Act include offences to target sexual grooming of children including causing a child to watch sexual activity and the use of information and communication technology to facilitate the sexual exploitation of a child.
The Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse provides for the establishment of a Committee of the Parties to monitor its implementation. The Lanzarote Committee (that is, the Committee of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse) is the body established to monitor whether Parties effectively implement the Lanzarote Convention.
Composed of both present and potential representatives of the Parties to the Convention, the Committee evaluates the situation on the protection of children against sexual violence at national level on the basis of the information which has been provided by the national authorities and other sources in their replies to both a General Overview Questionnaire and Thematic Questionnaire.
All replies to both questionnaires can be found online. They are categorised by State, other stakeholders and by question.
The Committee is also mandated to facilitate the collection, analysis and exchange of information, experience and good practices to improve capacity to prevent and combat sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children. In this regard, the Committee organises capacity building activities where exchanges of information but also hearings on specific challenges raised by the implementation of the Convention will be held.