Motion for a resolution | Doc. 15077 | 05 February 2020

For an assessment of the means and provisions to combat children's exposure to pornographic content

Signatories: Mr Dimitri HOUBRON, France, ALDE ; Ms Sophie AUCONIE, France, ALDE ; Ms Maryna BARDINA, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Olivier BECHT, France, ALDE ; Ms Deborah BERGAMINI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Goran BEUS RICHEMBERGH, Croatia, ALDE ; Ms Maryvonne BLONDIN, France, SOC ; Ms Mònica BONELL, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Bertrand BOUYX, France, ALDE ; Mr Damien COTTIER, Switzerland, ALDE ; Ms Yolaine de COURSON, France, ALDE ; Ms Jennifer DE TEMMERMAN, France, ALDE ; Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Christiana EROTOKRITOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Mr Bernard FOURNIER, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Olivier FRANÇAIS, Switzerland, ALDE ; Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO, Monaco, ALDE ; Mr Fabien GOUTTEFARDE, France, ALDE ; Mr Jean-Pierre GRIN, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr Momodou Malcolm JALLOW, Sweden, UEL ; Ms Catherine KAMOWSKI, France, ALDE ; Mr Claude KERN, France, ALDE ; Ms Maša KOCIPER, Slovenia, ALDE ; Ms Aicha LABLAK, Morocco ; Mr Jérôme LAMBERT, France, SOC ; Ms Martine LEGUILLE BALLOY, France, ALDE ; Ms Eva LÓPEZ, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Jacques MAIRE, France, ALDE ; Baroness Doreen MASSEY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Isabelle RAUCH, France, ALDE ; Mr Frédéric REISS, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Maria RIZZOTTI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Francesco SCOMA, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Eric STRAUMANN, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Tadeja ŠUŠTAR, Slovenia, EPP/CD ; Ms Liliana TANGUY, France, ALDE ; Mr Nicos TORNARITIS, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Lord Don TOUHIG, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Laurence TRASTOUR-ISNART, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Victoria VELASQUEZ, Denmark, UEL ; Mr Sylvain WASERMAN, France, ALDE ; Ms Martine WONNER, France, ALDE ; Ms Serap YAŞAR, Turkey, NR

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The convention of 25 October 2007 on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, known as the "Lanzarote Convention", criminalises sexual acts committed with children under the age of sexual consent, regardless of the context of these acts. It thus implies the criminalisation of prostitution and pornography.

This convention has been ratified by 45 States and signed by three others, making it one of the most widely acceded texts in the Council of Europe. The Committee of Parties to this text produces many documents, such as the Declaration on the protection of children placed out of the family environment from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.

The Parliamentary Assembly has contributed to enriching the commitments in force over the past ten years, in particular through Resolution 1834 (2011) on Combating images of child abuse through committed, transversal and internationally coordinated action and Resolution 2119 (2016) on Combating hypersexualisation of children. However, this dynamic must be sustained by strengthening the protection of minors from exposure to pornography, one of the causes of sexism and persistent inequality between women and men.

Despite their determination, States have difficulty in breaking this scourge. Consequently, the Assembly must examine and evaluate the legislation of its member States, as well as their policies to combat the exposure of children to pornographic content –for example, France is considering not recognising the declaration of their online age as sufficient protection for each minor child– in order to establish an inventory of good practices and make recommendations to help the lagging States to put in place solutions.