Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on 'Local and regional cooperation to protect children and young people from abuse and neglect in the European Union'
Date: 1999-11-18
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions, Provisional data
Subjects: child protection, regional cooperation, young person

C 57/46

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on ‘Local and regional cooperation to protect children
and young people from abuse and neglect in the European Union’

(2000/C 57/07)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the decision of its Bureau of 2 June 1999, under the 5th paragraph of Article 265 of the
Treaty establishing the European Community, to draw up an Opinion on ‘local and regional cooperation
to protect children and young people from abuse and neglect in the European Union’ and to direct
Commission 7 — Education, Vocational Training, Culture, Youth, Sport and Citizens’ Rights to draw up
an Opinion on this subject;

having regard to its Opinion on Cross-frontier and International Co-operation between Local Authorities
(CdR 145/98 fin) (1);

having regard to its Opinion on the Communication from the Commission on violence against children,
young persons and women and the Amended Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision
adopting a programme of Community action (the Daphne Programme) (2000-2004) on measures aimed
to prevent violence against children, young persons and women CdR 300/98 fin) (2);

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 225/99 rev. 2) adopted by Commission 7 on 1 October 1999
[Rapporteur: Ms Henig (UK — PES)],

unanimously adopted the following Opinion at its 31st plenary session of 17 and 18 November 1999
(meeting of 18 November).

1.

Introduction

1.1.
The European Union encourages greater movement of
citizens within Europe, but until recently little had been done
to co-ordinate practice, to promote the welfare and rights of
children, and to consider ways in which children can be better
protected from abuse.

1.2.
The Committee of the Regions is pleased with the
Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision
adopting a programme of Community action (the Daphne
Programme)
(2000-2004) on measures aimed to prevent
violence against children, young persons and women, as
indicated in its Opinion on the subject.
It represents an
important step forward in preventing violence and abuse.
It will bring a European added value in establishing and
strengthening cooperation, coordination and exchange of
information at local and regional level in this field.

1.3.
The Daphne Initiative has already contributed to the
development of practice and exchange of information in the
European Union in the field of protection of children’s welfare
and rights. The Committee of the Regions has worked with
Non Government Organisations on regional cooperation to
protect children from abuse as a result of the Daphne Initiative.

(1) OJ C 51, 22.2.1999, p. 21.
(2) OJ C 198, 14.7.1999, p. 61.

1.4.
There are over 120 million children and young people
in the European Union who are entitled to a childhood free
from cruelty and neglect. The completion of the Single Market,
the increasing freedom of movement across national frontiers,
and the creation of a common European Union citizenship
with the right to live and work in any Member State highlights
the urgent need for a European Union wide strategy in relation
to the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

1.5. While the Daphne Programme will make an important
contribution, the COR’s Opinion on the subject has expressed
concern about the limited budget (25 million ECU for 2000-
2004 in the original proposal; 20 million ECU for 2000-2003
in the Council common position 26.7.1999) and the proposed
legal base Article 129 (public health) owing to the lack of an
appropriate legal base for actions concerning the protection of
human rights. It is important that the European Commission
ensure that the definition of public health is given a wide
interpretation so that actions to prevent all forms of violence
are covered under the programme, as stressed in this Opinion.

1.6.
Child abuse occurs in all settings: in the family; in day
and residential institutions; and in leisure settings. Those who
abuse may be adults, or young people, they may be family
carers, or others in employment bringing them in contact with
children. Child abuse is prevalent in all European States.

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Attention should also be paid to types of abuse involving child
labour, forcing children into begging or prostitution and the
exploitation of children by their families or others. This
phenomenon is linked to the presence in many European
countries of economic refugees, minorities and,
in more
general terms, groups experiencing social exclusion and pover-
ty. Such conditions lead to the exploitation of children, from
as early as infancy, and expose children of pre-school and
school age to a variety of dangers, depriving them of their
basic rights to normal development and laying the ground for
their marginalisation as adults.

2. General Comments

2.1. Child abuse

The COR has already acknowledged that violence
2.1.1.
against children and young people in its Opinion on the
Daphne Programme is a real social problem across Europe,
widespread in all social classes regardless of socio economic
and cultural development.

2.1.2.
Children are vulnerable because of their dependency.
As such they are exposed to a host of risks and hazards. But
children are given little voice or opportunity to express how
they perceive, cope and act on a daily basis — and without
adult assistance — in relation to such experiences.

2.2. Citizenship

2.2.1.
Until recently there was no competency within the
European Union Treaty to address issues affecting children
even though the completion of the Single Market and the
increasing freedom of movement across national frontiers
affected children and young people, and resulted in new
problems for child protection agencies. Europe’s children were
not mentioned in European Treaties, or heard by European
institutions. It was as if 120 million children and young people
in the European Union were invisible and ignored.

2.2.2.
The Treaty instructed the Union to pay particular
attention to policy formation in such areas as equal opportuni-
ties between men and women, the elderly, ethnic minorities,
and the disabled, but there was no such provision for children.
Thus while there was general consensus that children and
young people were covered in the European Union Treaty,
their position as European citizens was far from clear.

2.2.3.
This lack of reference has made it difficult to legislate
directly in children and young people’s interests, and to direct
European structural funding towards the promotion of equal
opportunities for them.

2.2.4.
The Amsterdam Treaty, October 1997, introduces a
new non-discrimination clause, Article 13 which includes
discrimination based on age, clarifying that children should be
included within the provisions of the Treaty. While this
it is an important marker to a
progress may be limited,
recognition that children are Europe’s citizens too, and must
be valued, enabled to fulfil their potential and protected from
cruelty.

2.1.3.
Child abuse is not an absolute concept. With the
exception of some sexual abuse it should also be clear that
maltreatment is seldom an event, a single incident that requires
action to protect the child. Types of abuse overlap so that a
child who has been physically maltreated will almost certainly
have suffered emotionally, and sexual abuse may involve
physical force or threat of punishment.

2.2.5.
Article 3 of the UN Convention emphasises that in
all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public
or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administra-
tive authorities, or legislative bodies, the best interests of the
child shall be the primary consideration. This principle provi-
des a test against which adults need to evaluate their decisions
and actions in respect of children.

2.1.4. Most behaviour has to be seen in context before it
can be thought of as maltreatment. Yet decisions about the
threshold for intervention are reached without consultation
with children or engagement with them in the decision making
process. Long term family violence for example with children
regularly seeing their mother beaten can affect children as
much as if they had been frequently and severely hit, but rarely
perceived as abusive.

2.1.5.
Additionally abuse is a major factor in driving young
people to run away from their homes and into possible danger.
Bullying, mistreatment and abuse of children looked after
away from their homes also causes children to run away.

2.2.6.
Children need to be involved in the decisions affec-
ting their lives. Listening to children and hearing what they
have to say is at the root of developing effective human rights
for children. This process values the views of children, but is
not achieved easily or accepted universally.

Empowering children, giving them a voice, so that
2.2.7.
they know how and where to seek help contributes to
prevention. Local politicians can contribute effectively to the
empowerment of children by encouraging their participation
local services, and
in the planning and development of
responding to children’s concerns about problems or issues.
Children and young people should be aware of their rights,

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have access to complaints systems and independent advocacy.
Local and regional authorities can support children and young
people’s rights in different ways, according to the way
measures to help and support children and young people are
organised in the individual Member States. For example, local
and regional authorities might support children and young
people by appointing an independent Children’s Commissio-
ner or Ombudsperson.

2.2.8.
Local and Regional government should develop
integrated and comprehensive plans for children and youth,
putting together and articulating all actions to promote
rights and prevent problems, ensuring their co-ordination and
supervision. Incorporation of the subsidiarity principle in the
European treaties has given local and regional authorities
additional responsibilities. The ‘Citizens’ Europe’
is to be
achieved through the establishment of decentralised machine-
ry. This process gives a new dimension to cross-border and
transnational co-operation and demonstrates an important
‘bottom up’ approach to European integration. Increasingly
decentralised systems will bring government closer to the
people and further democratic responsibility. Children and
young people should not be ignored in this process, and the
EU should encourage local and regional authorities to promote
children and young people’s rights in ways appropriate to
Member States, which may include the establishment of local
Children’s Ombudspeople who will share knowledge and
practice about issues concerning and affecting children and
young people across Europe.

2.3. Role of local and regional government

Local and regional government in Europe, because
2.3.1.
of its closeness to and representation of local communities is
in a unique position to take positive action on behalf of
children to support the key principles of the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child, and to take action to ensure that
children are protected from abuse and neglect.

Local and regional government provides a wide range
2.3.2.
of services for children and young people, for example, social
welfare, education and leisure, and needs to ensure that
children and young people using these services are safe from
harm. Additionally there is a responsibility to ensure that any
children or young people suffering abuse or neglect within
their jurisdiction will be responded to and helped in a careful
and sensitive way.

between authorities in a Europe in which the subsidiarity
principle in the European Treaties has given local and regional
authorities additional responsibility. These recommendations
should be considered at both local and European levels.

2.3.4. Where there are diverse systems and different
agencies with responsibility for children in different countries,
effective co-ordination and communication between authori-
ties is of vital importance. Co-operation for mutual benefit, for
promoting the welfare of children involves exchanges of
experience and where possible the adoption of ‘best practice’.

2.3.5.
Local and regional co-operation across the EU in
combating child abuse must be strengthened. Such co-
operation should involve the candidate countries, in particular
the Associated Countries of Central and Eastern Europe for
whom it would bring particular benefit, in their efforts to
strengthen the protection of human rights within the frame-
work of the pre-accession strategy.

The EU should support co-operation between local
2.3.6.
and regional authorities, across the EU and within the candidate
countries, working in partnership with NGOs, in order to
combat child abuse through the dissemination of best practice
and exchange of information and the promotion of public
awareness campaigns, in particular within the framework of
the proposed Daphne programme.

Given that there are a significant number of children
2.3.7.
who fall victim to economic and sexual exploitation by adults,
suffer all types of abuse or live in abject poverty (cf. point 1.6
of this opinion), the COR feels that this should be a matter of
particular concern both within the framework of the Daphne
programme and in legal provisions in this field. Local and
regional authorities are the best placed to tackle this and they
must be supported so they can take the initiative to set up
mechanisms to locate, monitor and support children who
remain excluded from education and social welfare.

3. Specific comments

3.1.

Information needs — the scale of the problem

2.3.3.
The recommendations for action by local and regio-
nal authorities across the EU to combat child abuse (annexed),
put forward at the Committee of the Regions seminar on
‘Local and Regional Co-operation to Protect Children from
Abuse’ held on 4th December 1998 demonstrates the commit-
ment to cross border co-operation and sharing of practice

3.1.1.
Child abuse is a significant problem within the
European Union. Child abuse knows no frontiers and therefore
levels across the EU —
requires a concerted effort at all
including local and regional government — to tackle it
effectively.

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3.1.2.
Information about the extent of abuse within the
European Union is not available, and information should be
collected and monitored. All countries have different ways of
classifying and recording information about child abuse. The
EU should report on current data collection with a view to
identifying what information is relevant to an understanding
of child abuse on a Europe wide basis. Eurostat, working in
collaboration with local and regional authorities could support
this process.

published. More than 10 000 people, including a number who
had themselves been abused as children, made their views
known, by letter, written submission or in person. The National
Commission concluded that,
‘any balanced examination of
child abuse must come to terms with some uncomfortable
truths’. In particular it has to be accepted that, ‘over half of the
abuse that occurs, sometimes over lengthy periods of a
child’s life, goes undisclosed at the time it is occurring, and
additionally those who tell as children remain in a minority’.

Child abuse can lead to children running away from
3.1.3.
their carers, and to ensure that these children are not forgotten,
and to assist the relevant authorities in different countries in
finding them a European Register of missing children should
be established. Another helpful move would be to explore the
secure use of the internet by police forces across Europe to
have available photographs and other details of vulnerable
missing children.

3.1.4.
In the UK the government has introduced a system
for registering convicted sex offenders. This approach recogni-
ses that sex offenders pose a high risk of re-offending after
conviction or release and has worked well in tracking the
movements of sex offenders, and establishing their wherea-
bouts. The Member States are called upon to make an appraisal
of whether and to what extent this system, modified where
appropriate, should be introduced throughout the EU.

3.1.5.
Police forces currently record information on indivi-
duals relating to criminal convictions for paedophile activity,
child pornography, child prostitution and trafficking in women
and children. However there is no pan European system, and
a protocol for information exchange — a formal agreement
about information to be recorded and shared — between
police forces within the European Union would enhance the
protection of children. Europol could lead the development of
such a protocol, and a special unit within Europol should be
established in relation to child protection.

The Commission concluded that

the benefits of
3.2.2.
telling need to be emphasised and it reported that in a quarter
of the cases the Commission had received information about,
telling stopped the abuse continuing. Telling is seen as the first
step in the process, and can be beneficial in stopping abuse.
The Commission found that although those who told were
more likely to be younger, fear and an ignorance and lack of
knowledge, overlapped to prevent telling.

3.2.3.
The challenge for child protection systems across
Europe is the creation of systems which help children to speak
out about their abuse, and to feel confident about getting
support, and in which the public has confidence so that all
suspected cases are reported. Examining current practices
across Europe, and consulting with children and young people
about their effectiveness to identify ‘best practice’ provides a
way forward. Local and Regional Authorities are well placed
to do this work, and should be encourage to report, by the EU.
Such activity could be co-ordinated by the Committee of the
Regions.

3.3. Children telling and accessing help

It is recognised that local authority data bases will
3.1.6.
not currently demonstrate the incidence or prevalence of child
abuse since they work with very different definitions, and may
contain both alleged and confirmed cases. However they will
become increasingly useful once definitions are standardised
and they are recording only confirmed cases.

Children of different ages have different needs.
3.3.1.
For example children aged over 12 years, and in secondary
education, are more mobile, independent and more able to
access and use the range of services provided by youth and
community departments within local authorities, and other
organisations.

3.1.7.
Under current circumstances, a Europe wide study of
a representative sample of the general population would
provide a way of obtaining appropriate, relevant and valid data
on the incidence of abuse.

3.2. Help for children in reporting abuse

3.2.1.
in the UK, the Report of the National
Commission of Inquiry into the Prevention of Abuse was

In 1996,

Children in primary education, aged from 4 to
3.3.2.
5 years upwards towards secondary education are more restric-
ted in their independent opportunities and merit particular
attention. With this age group the role of the school, where
they spend most time, and the teacher is very significant.
Teachers can help identify those children currently experien-
cing abuse, and create environments where children can share
concerns at an early stage. A communications medium such
as television, which can reach children directly and easily in
the home, offers a further effective instrument for encouraging
children to report abuse. However, children should always be
directed to a facility which they already use, i.e. the school.

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3.3.3.
In research reports, children have described the
responses they want from ‘professionals’ — careful listening,
availability, and a non-judgemental and non-directive attitude.
This has implications for teacher training, ensuring that
‘listening skills’ are developed. There are opportunities to
develop and adopt
‘best practice’ approaches in teacher
training institutions across Europe.

3.3.4.
School also has an important part to play in enhan-
the adult world and
cing young people’s knowledge of
relationships, decisions about becoming a parent, and under-
standing rights, abusive relationships and responsibilities, and
where help may be accessed if a young person has worries or
concerns. The diversity of families and cultures within Europe
should be respected, but understanding differences can aid
learning about adult life and decision making.

3.3.5.
In many Member States there is general welfare
service provision directed to families with pre-school children.
In particular, specially trained youth welfare workers, commu-
nity nurses or health visitors play an important role in
supporting families under stress, identifying potentially abusive
circumstances, as well as identifying and treating developmen-
tal problems and mental illnesses. The value of these services
to the prevention of abuse cannot be overestimated.

Children also have access to computers, frequently
3.3.6.
without supervision. The Internet is an increasingly accessible
and important source of information, but there is also a need
to raise awareness of the fact that the Internet can be misused
to disseminate illegal material.

Children can be exploited through the portrayal of
3.3.7.
abuse, especially child sexual abuse. Children can come across
‘adult’ material unintentionally, receive e-mails inviting them
to access pornographic sites ,and be unaware of adults posing
as children in children’s discussion fora. To protect children
and young people from such abuse, an EU-wide legal frame-
work should be drawn up facilitating the prosecution of
producers and service providers who permit the storage and
retrieval of child pornography via the media which they make
available.

3.4. The role of responsible adults

It is important that there is an effective network of
3.4.1.
well co-ordinated local services to respond to concerns about
abuse, to ensure that concerns are properly enquired into, and
if action is necessary to protect children, to ensure that this is
taken.

3.4.2. When children, or other adults raise concerns these
should be taken seriously. These concerns may be raised with
teachers, health professionals, social welfare workers, leisure
service workers or the police. Children will approach those
people they believe they can trust. They should not be let
down.

3.4.3.
These professionals need training to understand child
abuse, to know that concerns should be taken seriously, and
to know how to respond. Local protocols or procedures for
responding to concerns help professionals to understand what
to do. Training for professionals is important.

3.4.4.
Those working with children, in schools, nurseries,
in residential units and in health settings need to be trained to
recognise abuse, and be able to respond to ensure concerns
are acted on. Current practices of local and regional authorities
in this area should be exchanged and ‘best practice’ approaches
identified and adopted.

3.4.5.
Personnel and training departments in local and
regional government can promote multi-agency training of
staff in different departments and organisations to ensure all
staff are competent to recognise abuse.

3.5.

‘Best practice’ in helping children and families

3.5.1.
Non-stigmatising services are necessary for children
and families where abuse has occurred. An assessment of and
response to the needs of the child should be planned and
monitored. The safety of the child is central, but the majority
of families can be helped and supported on a voluntary basis.
Work with families needs to be resourced and supported if
future abuse is to be prevented. The child is only removed
from the family in extreme cases. However, less serious cases
must not be underestimated; in order to protect the child in
such cases it is often necessary to tackle the root cause of the
problem by remedying communication problems within the
family which sadly in the long term often lead to physical or
mental cruelty.

Local and regional authorities have an important role
3.3.8.
in raising awareness, particularly with their responsibility for
education services. There is a role in familiarising teachers with
new information technologies, the use of suitable arrange-
ments for access to the Internet at school and home, and the
ways in which children and young people can be educated in
responsible use.

3.5.2. Manuals of good professional practice, drawing on
and sharing practice from individual States would be very
beneficial to practitioners in the field, and should be encoura-
ged and developed. Equally learning from ‘bad practice’,
learning the lessons from circumstances in which children are
killed is important. Such information could lead to the
development and establishment of recognised standards and
quality assurance programmes.

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3.5.3.
There are examples of Children’s Ombudspersons
having a role in collating and disseminating information about
practice — ‘best’ practice, and ‘bad’ practice — and this is a
further reason why consideration could be given to the
establishment of this role at a European, State and local or
regional level.

good supervisory processes in place, so that any concerns
about the practice or performance of members of staff are
identified. There are opportunities for local and regional
authorities to exchange ‘best practice’ information, and promo-
te this within authorities.

3.6. Selecting with care — staff recruitment and selection

3.6.1.
The duty of care in recruiting and providing staff to
deliver services, in residential, day or community settings, rests
with the provider, the regional or local authority or other
organisation, to ensure that children are protected. It is helpful
to think in terms of barriers. The more barriers that are in
place, the harder it is for paedophiles to cross them, and the
greater the protection afforded to children and young people.

3.6.2.
An essential requirement is to ensure that, as far as
possible, through efficient and rigorous recruitment practices
the right people are chosen to work with children, and the
wrong deterred or rejected.

The formal selection process should include a mixtu-
3.6.3.
re of assessment methods: written exercises; oral presentations;
group exercises; psychometric testing; and individual inter-
views, or other methods appropriate to the circumstances.
Competency based approaches identify the qualifications,
skills, knowledge, behaviours and values required to do a job
successfully, and these competences can be described and
assessed through a selection process.

3.6.4.
Because sexual abusers target the most vulnerable
children, they also seek employment opportunities that will
enable them to have regular and easy contact with children,
and which will enable them to build relationships which they
can exploit.

An important safeguard for children is to ensure that
3.6.5.
those who have relevant convictions do not work with children
in any community, day or residential setting. This is an
important responsibility for regional and local authorities, but
difficult to apply reliably because offences committed in other
countries are unlikely to be uncovered. If someone has lived
and worked elsewhere in Europe, ‘good conduct certificates’
may be produced and Europol should have a role in verifying
these.

3.6.6.
It is important to recognise that these processes have
limitations. Many adults working with children and offending
against them never come to the attention of employers. Even
if they do they may still not be reported to the police. Because
of this there is a need for authorities to ensure that there are

3.7. Campaigning to raise awareness about child abuse

3.7.1.
Local and regional authorities because of their close-
ness to and representation of local communities are in a
unique position to take positive action on behalf of children,
and in particular to promote campaigns to raise awareness
about child abuse within their communities, about the dangers
to children, and address the taboo of interfering in families.
The public need information, and need to be encouraged to
report abuse. They need to know where to report, and need to
know that their concerns will be taken seriously.

Local and regional authorities can initiate campaigns
3.7.2.
to combat abuse, for example advocating zero tolerance of
violence to children in all
its forms, and can initiate and
lead Europe wide campaigns working with Non-Government
Organisations as appropriate.

3.8. Pan European legislative requirements

3.8.1.
There is currently a diversity of legislation across
Europe concerned with child protection, the powers of local
and regional authorities and the police, and the extent to
which court systems and processes are child centred and child
friendly, for example the use of video taped evidence from
children, or the availability of specialist judges. The EU should
analyse existing legislation, identify the benefits for children
and recommend measures for each country to consider to
work towards a Europe wide legislative framework for the
protection of children.

4. Conclusion

4.1.
The European Union encourages greater movement of
citizens within Europe, but little has been done to co-ordinate
practice and to promote the welfare of children, and to
consider ways in which children can be better protected from
abuse.

4.2.
The key role of local and regional government in
Europe in taking positive action on behalf of children to
support the key principles of the UN Convention on the Rights
of the Child, and to take action to ensure that children are
protected from abuse and neglect should be more clearly
recognised and acted upon.

The ‘Citizens’ Europe’ requiring more decentralised
4.3.
structures also requires more co-ordination, cross-border and
transnational co-operation. Children and young people should

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not be ignored in this process, and the EU should consider the
ways in which the rights of children and young people can be
promoted in Member States and in Europe. This could include
the establishment of local Children’s’ Ombudspeople who will
share knowledge and practice about issues concerning and
affecting children and young people across Europe. Local and
regional authorities are well equipped to launch specific
schemes to assist children because of their closeness to the
population and expertise in the social sector. The European
Union encourages such schemes and we hope that it will
commit itself to supporting local action by these authorities or
cross-border exchanges of experiences,
in addition to the
funding envisaged under the future Daphne programme.

The Committee of the Regions has a role in co-
4.4.
ordinating the development of models of ‘best practice’ from
authorities and organisations across Europe, and making these
available for local authorities to consider. The recommenda-
tions for action by local and regional authorities across the EU
to combat child abuse (annexed), put forward at the Committee
of the Regions seminar on ‘Local and Regional Cooperation to
Protect Children from Abuse’ demonstrates the commitment
to cross border co-operation and sharing of practice between
authorities, and the effective role of the Committee of the
Regions in co-ordinating activities.

In the past the lack of reference to children in European
4.5.
Treaties has made it difficult to focus directly on the needs and
interests of children and young people, and to direct European
structural funding towards activities directed to the promotion
of their welfare. The Amsterdam Treaty, introducing a new
non-discrimination clause, clarifies that children should be
included within the provisions of the Treaty, recognising that
children are Europe’s citizens too. This position could be
further enshrined in legislation, and the urgent need for a
European Union wide strategy in relation to the prevention
of child abuse and neglect, without impinging upon the
responsibilities of national, regional and local authorities,
should be recognised and acted upon.

4.6.
The Committee of the regions welcomes the opportu-
nities that the Daphne programme will bring to strengthen
cooperation between NGOs and local and regional authorities
across the EU. The COR is pleased to note that the call made
in its Opinion (1) for the promotion of cooperation between
local and regional authorities and NGOs in the implementation
of the programme and in information networks have recently
been endorsed by the European Parliament (first reading), the
Commission (amended proposal) and the Council (common
position).
In addition to such cooperation between local
authorities and NGOs, networking among authorities is impor-
tant to give value-added to the activities currently under way
in the individual Member States.

(1) CdR 300/98 fin — OJ C 198, 14.7.1999, p. 61.

4.7.
The COR feels that the resources available must be
increased in order to make it easier for local and regional
authorities to set up mechanisms and services to locate,
register, monitor and support children suffering abuse, exploi-
tation or abandonment and their families. These mechanisms
must:

— ensure that children who are forced to work, beg, prostitute
themselves or live in poverty are able to access the
apparatus of social welfare, health and education;

— provide for the healthy physical, emotional and intellectual

development of children;

— extend the provision of services to all children within the
their jurisdiction (whether

geographical boundaries of
legally or illegally, temporarily or permanently)

— collaborate with the corresponding mechanisms or services
in the places where children are moving to so that their
care can be followed.

4.8.
The COR also feels that the specific problems of
children from migrant groups (economic refugees, travellers
e.g. gypsies etc.) moving between different areas of the same
country or from one EU state to another, should also be
tackled by means of legal measures at national and European
level.

4.9.
Information about the extent of abuse within the
European Union should be collected from existing data,
recognising that currently there are different ways of classifying
and recording information about child abuse. The EU should
report on current data collection with a view to identifying
what information is relevant to an understanding of child
abuse on a Europe wide basis.

4.10.
Other Europe wide data bases would support the
protection of children: a European Register of missing children;
the possible introduction of an EU system for registering
and tracking convicted sex offenders; and a protocol for
information exchange between police forces, which would
also enhance the vetting of staff.

4.11.
In many areas of activity, manuals of good professio-
nal practice, drawing on and sharing practice from individual
States would be very beneficial to practitioners in the field, and
should be encouraged and developed. Examining current
practices, for example in service provision, the recruitment
and selection of staff, and basic training, across Europe to
identify ‘best practice’ provides a way forward. Local and
Regional Authorities are well placed to do this work, and
should be encouraged to do so by the EU. Such activity could
be co-ordinated by the Committee of the Regions.

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4.12.
The important role of schools in preventing abuse,
listening to and responding to children’s needs, should be
recognised and supported. Schools not only enhance young
people’s knowledge of the adult world, relationships, and
potential dangers, but can also inform them about and
encourage access to sources of help. Ensuring teachers are
trained, equipped with resources and supported by ‘best
practice’ guidance to provide this personal and social
education should be a priority. For this important role of
the
communication and
truly effective,
information swapping between schools and social services
must be optimised. This means closer cooperation between
operators in the two fields, who often act in parallel rather
than together.

to be

school

Brussels, 18 November 1999.

4.13.
Local and regional authorities because of their close-
ness to local communities are in a unique position to take
positive action on behalf of children, and in particular to
promote campaigns to raise awareness about child abuse
within their communities. Local and regional authorities can
initiate campaigns to combat abuse, for example advocating
zero tolerance of violence to children in all its forms, and
can initiate and lead Europe wide campaigns working with
Non-Government Organisations as appropriate.

4.14.
The legislative framework for child protection in
Europe should be reviewed, and recommendations made,
taking account of existing international agreements and the
responsibilities of national, regional and local authorities and
their scope for action which would support a coordinated
strategy within the EU for the protection of children’s welfare
and rights and the prevention of abuse.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER

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29.2.2000

APPENDIX

to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions

Summary of recommendations

On 7 September 1998 and 4 December 1998 members of Commissions 3, 5 and 7 of the COR met together to
consider ways to promote a Europe of Regions where children are protected from cruelty. The seminar was organized
by the National society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (UK), and the Irish Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children (Ireland) in cooperation with the COR, with funding from the European Commission Daphne
Initiative.

As a result of the discussions that took place during these seminars, the following local and regional action plan to
combat child abuse was agreed upon:

Recommendations to local and regional government

1. To establish a shared understanding of child abuse within the European Union, and to collect, monitor and exchange

information about the extent of child abuse

Action:

— Local and regional authorities should work together to promote the development of common databases in this

field in cooperation with Eurostat.

— Local and regional authorities should work in cooperation with police authorities and Europol on the
development of databases on criminal convictions concerning paedophile activity, child pornography, child
prostitution and trafficking as well as information on missing children.

2. To ensure that legislation in the European union is adequate to protect children in danger

Action:

— Local and regional authorities should support the development of specific legislation on child protection at EU
level basing those recommendations on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This legislation would
provide a consistent approach across Europe.

— Local and regional authorities should promote the development of common guidelines at EU level for

professional action to be taken by those involved in cases of child abuse.

3. To ensure that children in Europe are protected from abuse by those caring for them and providing services by establishing

good recruitment practice

Action:

— Recruitment and selection practices should be shared between local and regional authorities across the EU, and

‘best practice’ recommendations developed for consideration and implementation.

— Police forces to develop common recording systems of criminal convictions that relate to children, and methods

of exchanging this information

4. To ensure that all those caring for children or providing services are trained to recognize abuse and know how to act on

concerns

Action:

— Local and regional authorities to develop the key competences, that address the necessary skills and knowledge
in this area. Once developed these competences could be standardized across Member States, so that ‘good’
practice is exchanged and brought together.

— Personnel and training departments in local and regional authorities can promote training of staff in different
departments and organizations to ensure all staff are competent to recognize abuse and ensure that all staff
receive information about child abuse in induction training.

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5. To ensure that there are local policies and procedures for the management of cases of child abuse which address the roles of

staff in all professions and organizations

Action:

— Local and Regional Authorities should promote the development of common guidelines, standardized protocols
and roles and responsibilities for professional action to be taken by those involved in cases of child abuse,
whether in the field of health, education, police or social work.

6. To ensure that post abuse services are available for children and their carers

Action:

— Local and regional authorities across the EU to share information about effective practice in supporting families
in which abuse has occurred, and helping children overcome the effects of abuse so that learning between
authorities can take place.

7. To take action to establish programmes to prevent abuse

Action:

— Local and Regional Authorities to initiate policies to ensure that every child receives information about family

life, relationships, their rights, and what to do and who to talk to if they have concerns.

— Local and regional authorities to share current practice, and develop resources that teachers can use to inform

children and develop their skills and understanding about parenting.

— Local and regional authorities across Europe can cooperate to develop programmes which ensure schools and
librarians have effective internet safety policies; develop internet safety campaigns and help promote the work of
hotlines where concerns can be reported.

8. To give children a more active role in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Action:

— Local and regional authorities should provide access to counselling services responding to children’s concerns
about problems or issues and encouraging their participation in the planning and development of local services;

— Local and regional authorities should support children and young people by raising awareness of their rights,
providing access to a complaints system and independent advocacy, for example by appointing an independent
Children’s Commissioner/Ombudsman.

9. To take responsibility to promote regular public awareness campaigns

Action:

— Local and regional authorities to cooperate, share current practice, and to initiate Europe-wide campaigns to

combat abuse.

10. To strengthen local and regional cooperation across the EU in combating child abuse

Action:

— To contribute towards strengthening cooperation between local and regional authorities across the EU and the
candidate countries, working in partnership with NGOs, in order to combat child abuse through the dissemination
of best practice and exchange of information and the promotion of public awareness campaigns.