18 November marks the European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, promoted by the Council of Europe to strengthen the protection of children and adolescents. The anniversary recalls the commitment of institutions, law enforcement agencies, civil society and practitioners to prevent and counter these phenomena, including through the dissemination of knowledge, protection tools and awareness-raising measures.
The Day emphasises the importance of a coordinated response at national and European level, with a focus on prevention, supporting victims and combating online and offline forms of exploitation.

As further background resources, we also highlight the regulatory framework on the abuse and sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, developed by the Department for Family Policies and the National Centre for Documentation and Analysis on Childhood and Adolescence, together with the following study materials selected by the Biblioteca Innocenti Library A.C. Moro: a bibliographic research on sexual violence; a bibliographic research on intrafamilial sexual violence; a bibliographic research on children and adolescents who are victims of violence; a bibliographic research on pedophilia; a bibliographic research on child prostitution and sexual exploitation; and a bibliographic research on online violence.

Additional materials and news can be found on this site under "Sexual exploitation" and “Sexual abuse of children and adolescents”, accessible from the “Themes” navigation menu.