More use against AI material
The EU Commission wants to intensify the fight against child abuse
February 6, 2024, 6:51 p.m
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According to the EU Commission, one in five children is affected by sexual violence. The institution is calling for reforms to better protect adolescents. The main thing is to ensure uniform penalties in all member states.
The fight against pedo criminals and consumers of child pornography active on the Internet is to be intensified across the EU. In the future, live streaming of child sexual abuse and the possession and exchange of pedophile manuals should be punishable uniformly in all member states, according to a proposal that was recently published. Such manuals contain instructions on how perpetrators can, for example, approach potential victims and silence them after attacks. According to the proposal, material about child sexual abuse in the form of forgeries or AI-generated material should also be recorded in the future.
“Child sexual abuse and exploitation is a heinous crime with lifelong traumatic consequences for children. We are firmly committed to making the protection of our children and their rights from all forms of violence one of the most important priorities of our work,” said the Vice President of the EU Commission, Dubravka Suica.
Right to financial compensation
The proposal also includes measures to protect victims. This means that those affected by sexual abuse should be able to report it even after a longer period of time. In addition, victims should be given the right to financial compensation. In the next step, the European Parliament and the Council of Member States will negotiate the proposal. Possible new legal issues in connection with AI-generated depictions of abuse are currently being discussed in Germany.
According to the EU Commission, one in five children is affected by sexual violence in some form – offline and online. The Internet has significantly worsened the spread of child sexual abuse. The Commission had already presented a proposal for a regulation in 2022 that would require internet companies to track down, report and remove child sexual abuse material on their services.