Thank you for inviting me to speak at this concluding event for Project 2KNOW.
Firstly, I want to thank everyone here today for their important work in protecting children from sexual violence.
Particularly, I would like to thank Protect Children, the University of Eastern Finland, and The Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat for their crucial work and unique research conducted under this project.
Child sexual abuse is a horrific crime against the most vulnerable, with severe and lasting impacts on victims.
In Europe, it is estimated that 1 in 5 children suffer from some form of sexual abuse and exploitation.
New digital technologies unfortunately increase the threat and the abuse.
Every two seconds, a video or image of a child being abused is uploaded online. Often involving very young children, including severe sexual violence against infants and toddlers.
We cannot let this continue. We must enhance our response.
A comprehensive societal response is needed, starting with prevention and ending with a robust legal framework.
Prevention is the cornerstone of the Commissions strategy to combat child sexual abuse, integrated throughout our legislation, cooperation, and funding initiatives.
Thanks to Project 2KNOWs research, we are closer to understanding online child sexual phenomena, its drivers, and barriers.
This work will be integrated into our policy-making.
We need to complete the EU regulatory framework.
First, we urgently need to finalize negotiations on the Commissions proposal to revise the outdated 2011 Criminal Law Directive.
The revision includes mandatory criminal record checks for individuals in regular contact with children.
Too often, this is not done, and children suffer. Their protection must be prioritized.
The revision will ensure organizations working with children, like sports centers or schools, prevent abuse structurally, such as by providing targeted staff training.
Secondly, we have proposed a Regulation to prevent and combat online child sexual abuse. This ensures Internet companies act responsibly, address systemic risks, and promote safety by design.
Though challenging, it is crucial for co-legislators to progress quickly, preventing the EU from becoming a haven for perpetrators.
Thirdly, the new Digital Services Act requires platforms to ensure high levels of privacy, safety, and security for children. This should make it harder for offenders to find victims on social media.
Enforcing the DSA is a key Commission priority. We will soon release specific guidelines on protecting minors under the DSA.
Beyond regulation, the Commission supports knowledge sharing, awareness, and cooperation through various tools.
As part of the Better Internet for Kids strategy, we co-fund Safer Internet Centres across Europe, raising online safety awareness and providing help to children through helplines and hotlines.
We have also established a Prevention Network of practitioners and researchers across the EU and beyond, crucial to all prevention work. We will now upgrade this network to help Member States choose effective prevention measures.
We continue to support prevention through funding instruments like the Internal Security Fund and Horizon Europe.
Child sexual abuse is a global crime impacting society. We must tackle it together and can prevent it through collaboration.
Your work is essential in raising awareness among children, contributing to prevention, and providing policymakers with new evidence and impetus.
As EVP for tech sovereignty, security, and democracy, protecting children against all threats, online or offline, is a key priority for this new mandate. We aim to make the internet and Europe safer for children and young people. You can rely on me.
I wish you success in your important work.
Thank you very much.