In Europe, 18 million children have been sexually abused before reaching the age of majority. According to the WHO, about 3 out of 4 children, or 300 million children between the ages of 2 and 4, are regularly subjected to physical punishment and psychological violence by parents and guardians. In 2022, the NCMEC (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) analyzed just over 32 million reports of child sexual abuse from around the world, an increase of 87% compared to 2019.
These are alarming numbers that only partially reflect a global phenomenon that requires attention and concrete actions at the international level to prevent and support victims. In Italy, too, the trend is very worrying and, on the occasion of the International Day for the Protection of Minors against Exploitation and Abuse, Telefono Azzurro has promoted a moment of discussion and reflection on the issue at the headquarters of the Italian Embassy to the Holy See, involving representatives of the Government, the Holy See and the Italian Bishops' Conference.
According to the "Out of the Shadow" report published in 2022 by The Economist, which maps the vision and approach used by 60 countries around the world in combating abuse and violence against minors, it emerges that Italy ranks 45th in the area dedicated to prevention and 18th in the section dedicated to intervention policies. Over the years, the European Union has adopted a strategy that aims to put in place a solid legal framework for the protection of children and to facilitate a coordinated approach between the many actors involved.
But a great and greater effort is needed to address these issues with courage and determination and to combat the phenomenon of sexual abuse, as already indicated by the Lanzarote Convention of the Council of Europe, by promoting national and international cooperation projects against such crimes.
"Our goal has always been to offer victims a safe place where they can be heard, thus breaking the silence with respect to episodes that too often remain unknown and unpunished. It is therefore necessary to put in place timely and efficient actions to reduce trauma and avoid further victimization of the minor, but also the development of child protection policies at European and international level that guarantee the complete protection of the minor" - declares Ernesto Caffo, President of Telefono Azzurro.