BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The EU Commission on Tuesday proposed stricter criminal rules to combat the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, including a clampdown on livestreaming pornography and the inclusion of abuse material in deep fakes or other AI-generated material.
“Child sexual abuse is a heinous crime which has evolved significantly over the past years,” the commission said.
Both the significantly increased presence of children online and rapid technological developments have created new possibilities for abuse, the commission said, culminating in 1.5 million reports of child sexual abuse in the EU in 2022.
“The threat of abuse is real and has increased throughout the EU,” the commission said.
The new rules would adapt those implemented in 2011, and expand the definition of criminal offences related to child abuse to include livestreaming and AI content.
They will also set a longer time period for victims to report abuse and grant them rights to financial compensation.
Member states will be asked to step up measures to prevent abuse, for instance by making children more aware of online risks.
The European Parliament and member countries must agree to the proposal before it can be enforced.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer, editing by Ed Osmond)
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