Brussels, 02/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - EPP Group MEPs Sabine Verheyen (Germany) and Roberta Angelilli (Italy) took part on Thursday 1 July, in the launch of the debate on the directive on tackling sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and child pornography. “Sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and child pornography are crimes that pose tangible threats to children throughout the EU,” the two MEPs said at a public hearing by the EPP Group in Brussels. “These crimes should be subject to effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions and require a comprehensive approach covering the prosecution of offenders, protection of child victims and prevention of the phenomenon,” they said. Studies suggest that between 10% and 20% of children in Europe will suffer one or other form of sexual abuse during their childhood. Child victims of pornography are getting younger and the number of websites devoted to this crime is constantly growing, with 200 images containing child pornography put into circulation every day. In addition, some 20% of sex offenders go on to re-offend after conviction. “Therefore we must strengthen prosecution, criminalise new forms of child sexual abuse, such as grooming through social chat rooms and above all protect child victims before, during and after criminal proceedings,” Verheyen and Angelilli said, adding: “The estimated number of unreported cases of child abuse should alarm every one of us. Children are our future and society has to protect them from any threats”. Parliament is entering the co-decision procedure on this directive which was presented in March of this year (see EUROPE 10108). (BC./transl.rt)