IWF and child protection partners stand up for the rights of child sexual abuse victims and survivors at Brussels stunt

Coalition urges EU leaders to pass vital child sexual abuse laws.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) proudly joined child protection advocates at an outdoor stunt in Brussels today (Monday, October 13) to ensure that victim and survivors’ voices are being heard in the fight against child sexual abuse.

At the event, the European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG)^* called attention to the threat posed to the safety and wellbeing of millions of children as vital EU child sexual abuse legislation continues to be delayed.

Stunt organisers staged a hauntingly empty schoolroom scene, symbolising the European children whose lives have been blighted by sexual abuse, online and offline, because of political inaction.

The public were able to walk through the schoolroom setting and, through reading stories of real-life survivor experiences, get insight into the high cost of the stalled EU Child Sexual Abuse Regulation.

A key aspect of the draft law requires technology companies to prevent child sexual abuse on their services and to detect and remove child sexual abuse material online, while upholding the privacy of all users. Some companies already act voluntarily – but voluntary action is not enough.

As EU Member States fail to reach accord on the Regulation, which was first proposed in 2022, children continue to be ruthlessly groomed, exploited and taken advantage of by predators online. Child sexual abuse and exploitation is rampant on the internet and abusive images can be disseminated and downloaded within seconds.

The EU lies at the very heart of the crisis: 62% of the child sexual abuse reports dealt with by the Internet Watch Foundation in 2024 were hosted in the EU. ECLAG members took a stand in Brussels today to urge EU leaders to #PassTheLaw and provide a permanent legal basis for voluntary and mandatory detection of child sexual abuse images and videos across the EU.

Securing the Regulation is all-the-more urgent because of the fast-approaching expiration of the temporary derogation from the EU’s ePrivacy Directive, which allows companies to proactively scan for child sexual abuse material on their platforms on a voluntary basis. The derogation runs out in April next year.

Kerry Smith, Chief Executive of the IWF, said: “Children, and their human rights, are violated first when they are abused, and second, when that abuse is recorded, shared and perpetuated online. These images and videos show them at their most vulnerable – we must intervene to prevent that imagery ever existing or being shared.

“If the EU does not find a solution soon, it will make itself more and more attractive to criminals. We cannot delay the chance to progress this vital regulation. Otherwise,  we risk taking a serious backwards step on child safety”

ECLAG spokesperson and Eurochild Lead Policy and Advocacy Officer for Online Safety Fabiola Bas Palomares said: “We are at a precipice and vital laws to protect children are at risk. For three years, Member States have stalled the much-needed Regulation to address the child sexual abuse crisis and children continue to pay the price of political inaction.

“In this time more than 170 million files of abuse have been reported online. We are calling on the Council to urgently agree on an ambitious Regulation and to swiftly extend the Interim e-Privacy Derogation to allow for voluntary detection of child sexual abuse while an agreement is finalised with the European Parliament. Our children urgently need strong laws to protect them online and offline.”

ECLAG members will continue to keep child protection and safety high on the agenda later this week (Thursday, October 16) at a panel discussion with EU policymakers, civil society, young people and industry representatives, aimed at breaking the legislative deadlock and moving towards concrete solutions. Register here to join. 

^* The ECLAG coalition is formed of more than 70 child rights organisations working across the EU to raise awareness of the pressing need to protect children online in our ever-developing digital world. The Steering Group of the coalition is made up of ECPAT International, Eurochild, the Internet Watch Foundation, Missing Children Europe, Terre des Hommes Netherlands and Thorn.