Between February 28 and March 2, 2023, a group of judges, prosecutors and prosecution officers participated in the thematic school entitled „Preventing and combating online child exploitation and abuse”. The training was organized in collaboration by the National Institute of Justice and the Council of Europe Project „Preventing and protecting children from violence including in the digital environment in the Republic of Moldova”, within the CoE Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova (2021-2024).
In the opening of the thematic school, Ecaterina Popa, ad interim director of the National Institute of Justice, and William Massolin, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, mentioned the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the given topic, taking into consideration the actuality and importance of combating online child exploitation and abuse.
The training program aimed to increase the knowledge and practical skills of participants in the effective investigation and examination of cases of child sexual abuse, being facilitated by international consultants of the Council of Europe: Rajka Vlahovic, Andrea Bradley, Andriana Kostopoulou, and national experts: Artur Degteariov, Iurie Rosca, Elena Cobzac. Thus, topics related to the implementation of relevant international and European standards, including the Convention on the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse and the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, were addressed. Examples from national practices on preventing and combatting online child exploitation and abuse have also been provided.
