Cypriot parliamentarian Costis Efstathiou presented before the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a recommendation of opinion, on behalf of the Legal and Human Rights Committee, on the issue of the exploitation of minors in Europe, which was unanimously approved, a press release by the Parliament says.
It includes the frequency and dangerous dimensions of the phenomenon of exploitation of minors in private and public institutions in Europe.
He noted that cases of abuse of minors in state and religious institutions are of particular concern, where child victims, under the law of silence, have been exposed for long periods of time, to degrading and abusive behaviours, with incalculable damage for their further psychological and physical development.
According to official figures, Efstathiou said, the main forms of abuse include violence, sexual exploitation, forced institutionalisation and child abductions.
The Cypriot MP urged the competent national authorities
to adopt a series of preventive and punitive measures and to draw up relevant action plans, with all the agencies involved, so that abused children are not re-victimised through complex judicial and other procedures.
The press release notes that the Lanzarote Convention for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter of the Council of Europe are powerful legal tools in the hands of the contracting parties so that children can receive the maximum possible protection and care.
Source: Cyprus News Agency