Real pros! On 29 March, the 20 students trained by ECPAT Belgium led a workshop on online safety for the rest of the school. Engaging activities with a strong message. We talked about cyberbullying, intimate space, sexting, privacy but also how to secure your settings on social networks. Thank you to the Établissement de Sœurs de Notre-Dame in Namur for adopting the Déclic project.
Tourism has many positive effects on society, such as creating jobs or boosting the economy. Unfortunately, there are also negative effects, such as the sexual exploitation of children. Children have the right to be protected and we must act to protect them.
ECPAT Belgium is participating in a study organised by ECPAT Netherlands and the University of Leiden. A questionnaire was developed for people travelling abroad, for work or holidays. We invite you to complete our survey in French: https://bit.ly/2XrjsIM or Dutch: https://bit.ly/2IBPT3T.
How to make the fight against the sexual exploitation of children a priority for the European Union? How can the collaboration between ECPAT members be enhanced in Europe?
On 4 and 5 March 2019, European ECPAT groups met in Berlin to develop effective strategies to end the sexual exploitation of children.
From February 14 to 17, 2019, ECPAT Belgium was pleased to have a stand at the Salon Vert Bleu Soleil (Liège), THE Liège-based exhibition for holidays, tourism and leisure.
During these four days, several hundred visitors were informed of the existence of the “I say STOP! “This is a way of reporting any cases of sexual abuse of children abroad. On this occasion, several travellers told us that they had been questioned by certain situations abroad. They took the flyer “I say STOP! “thanking us for our work.
ECPAT Belgium also approached around thirty tourist operators (hotels, campsites, tour operators, travel agencies) and obtained new distribution channels for the campaign.
Remember the crowdfunding launched last June? Thanks to your support, ECPAT Belgium has been able to relaunch its activities on online safety for young people.
On February 12, we facilitated a one-morning workshop with 20 Secondary 5 students (Sisters of Notre-Dame School, Namur)
Through fun activities, we reflected together on the risks presented by new technologies, how to protect your privacy, especially on snapchat/instagram, what questions to ask before sending a photo, where to seek help if you are a victim of cyberbullying or sextortion. Students will now reflect on how to get all these messages across to the rest of the school during a workshop on March 29. And the ideas have already been put forward: we’ll keep you surprised!
Another partner in the fight against the sexual exploitation of children! On 22 January, we trained the staff of this prestigious Brussels hotel so that they could detect and react to situations suspected of child sexual exploitation or forced prostitution.
As usual, the training focused on concrete and participatory activities, such as role-playing, in order to best anchor the participants’ reflexes. To be done again very quickly
MEDIA RELEASE
New EU online privacy law may increase risk of child sexual exploitation
Victims of sexual abuse face many obstacles to enforcing their rights, but they rarely have the opportunity to express themselves. However, it is essential to listen to the survivors’ voices in order to improve existing protection systems and better support victims.
On 16 November 2018, on the occasion of the European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, ECPAT Belgium and the FPS Justice co-organised a round table, bringing together adult victims, police and judges.
During this event, a central place was given to the experiences of victims, who were able to share their experiences with representatives of the police and judiciary.
Yes, in a judgment of 25 September last, the Brussels Court of First Instance sentenced a man for rape of a minor, without the author having had any physical contact with his victim, the abuse taking place by means of a webcam. A verdict that will hopefully set a precedent because it sweeps away the idea that rape cannot be committed “at a distance”, as is the case with new technologies. Read more…
For several weeks, critics have been hovering around the comic book Petit Paul, an adult book telling the story of a 10-year-old boy with a disproportionate sex. Because it illustrates extremely explicit sexual acts between a minor boy and adult women, this comic book rightly shocked many readers. Read more …