A resolution against child labour and another against the sexual exploitation of minors were signed by 29 European ministers responsible for childhood (those of the 15 member states, plus the 10 countries due to enter and those of Turkey, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania). The meeting, held at Lucca on 25 September, was also attended by the representatives of the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the ILO and UNICEF. The resolutions urge member states to use “zero tolerance” in cracking down on the sad phenomena of sexual abuses, be they committed within the home or outside it, and that of child labour. As a first concrete step, a monitoring network, “ChildONEurope”, was established. This is a European network of observers and national documentation centres for childhood, aimed at pooling the knowledge and experience of the individual countries to safeguard more effectively the rights of those below age. In particular, the network will have the task of furnishing information on the laws, policies, programmes, studies and best practices regarding childhood and adolescence. The National Centre of Studies on Childhood and Adolescence, an agency of Italy’s Ministry of Welfare, based in Florence, will coordinate the European network. According to the data of the Observatory on the rights of minors, some 15 million minors are being exploited in Europe and in the Mediterranean basin, several hundred millions in the world, and 144,000 in Italy (excluding non-EU citizens).
