The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has long been concerned that many States parties are failing to properly implement the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography* (OPSC), meaning children in those countries are at increased risk of sexual exploitation. As a response, The Committee is releasing a new set of guidelines, to give States concrete advice on how to effectively protect children from sexual exploitation.

For almost 20 years, the OPSC has existed as a legal instrument for states to protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation. However, there has been a growing concern that the protocol needs to be adapted to also capture online exploitation. The guidelines were developed by an expert working group led by ECPAT International. They address the more recent trends and issues related to the sale and sexual exploitation of children, such as:

Self-produced images
The OPSC guidelines offer suggestions on how States should approach the increasing number of sexually explicit images/videos produced by children themselves. It is emphasized that children should never be held responsible for sharing these materials.
Children’s right to information
The new guidelines emphasise the need for stronger and more efficient educational programmes to help children have easier access to support groups, as well as inform them of the different ways that they can safely and confidentially report sexual abuse and exploitation. One suggestion presented by the guidelines involves the use of tech-friendly platforms to educate children, parents, school teachers, and caregivers to learn about online abuse. (From the ECPAT International website). Visit the website for related documents. Record #7321