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Ending child sexual abuse: EU bans abuse manuals, strengthens prevention and delivers justice for victims

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European Liberals and Democrats welcome the 22 June agreement with the Council on the long-awaited revision of the Child Sexual Abuse Directive. For the first time, manuals that instruct people how to sexually abuse children are explicitly criminalized across the European Union. Anyone who possesses, distributes or produces such sickening material now faces up to two years' imprisonment. "This was a firm demand of the Parliament and we pushed it through. Thousands of pages of 'instructions' on how and when to abuse a child – we are putting an end to that today," said Renew Europe shadow rapporteur Hilde Vautmans MEP. The revised agreement also delivers stronger prevention measures and ensures that the law is as strict for online criminals as it is offline.

"This agreement goes beyond punishment: we are now requiring member states to invest in prevention, for children and for those at risk of crossing the line. Helplines like 'Stop It Now', anonymous intervention programmes, mandatory guidelines for teachers and care professionals. Because the fight against child sexual abuse begins long before the courtroom," added Vautmans. The agreement also ensures that justice remains possible even years later through a long-awaited revision of the limitation periods in the Directive, reflecting scientific evidence and better supporting victims.

"Victims have waited far too long for recognition – the law now reflects that. On average, a victim is in their fifties before they dare to come forward. It was unacceptable that criminals could benefit from that. This agreement ensures that justice remains possible even years later." The new limitation periods significantly extend the time victims can seek justice to 15, 20 and 32 years from the victim's age of majority, depending on the severity of the offence. Last but not least, Liberals and Democrats successfully secured a modernised version of the Directive with a strong focus on artificial intelligence. Anyone who develops an AI tool specifically to generate child sexual abuse material will now be committing a criminal offence under European law.

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