ArmInfo. Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland called on Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ireland and the United Kingdom to ratify the Lanzarote Convention. This statement he made against the background of Norway's ratification of this convention.
Norway became the 43rd member state of the Council of Europe, which ratified the Convention for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention). The Convention will enter into force in Norway on October 1, 2018.
"Sexual abuse of children is the most horrendous crime, which unfortunately is very common in Europe. Today, Norway joins in the fight against this phenomenon, ratifying the Lanzarote Convention of the Council of Europe. For now, only four member states of the Council of Europe - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ireland and the United Kingdom - which have not yet ratified this important treaty, which provides for a higher level of legal protection of children against violence, I welcome the Norway's ratification Lanzarote Convention and urge countries that have not yet done so to accede to the common cause," said Jagland, according to the Council of Europe website.
The organization also notes that one out of every five children under the age of 18 in Europe is a victim of sexual violence. The Lanzarote Convention obliges states to criminalize all types of sexual offenses committed against children, including on the Internet, and to protect the victims and prosecute those responsible. The Convention also calls on countries to ensure that the status of restrictions on the initiation of a sexual offense case against children is extended enough to effectively initiate the procedure after reaching the victim of majority.
The Committee of Parties, the Lanzarote Committee, monitors how effectively the States Parties apply the Lanzarote Convention. Monitoring is divided into thematic rounds.