Council of Europe ONE in FIVE campaign: Congress debate on local initiatives to stop sexual violence against children
What can local and regional authorities do to prevent sexual violence against children? How best to foster and develop practical initiatives and good practices in this area? The members of the Congress examined these issues on 18 October 2011. This debate was one of the Congress contributions to the Council of Europe's ONE in FIVE campaign, which sets out to promote the Lanzarote Convention, the main legal instrument on the subject. The campaign also seeks to make all those concerned – including the children themselves – more aware of the gravity of this form of violence and of what can be done to prevent it. The Congress is responsible for the local and regional dimension of the campaign, which reflects its 2009 resolution on preventing violence against children. The aim, first and foremost, is to encourage local and regional authorities to establish appropriate multidisciplinary bodies and mechanisms and to promote a more child-friendly culture.