European Council Commends Morocco’s Commitment to Protecting Children from Online Sexual Exploitation & Abuse

The head of the Council of Europe’s Office in Morocco, Carmen Morte Gomez, hailed on Tuesday in Rabat the measures taken by the Kingdom to strengthen the protection of children against online sexual exploitation and abuse.

Speaking at a conference on “Protecting children from online sexual exploitation and abuse,” organized by the Higher Institute of Magistrates in partnership with the Council of Europe, as part of the European Union-funded “CyberSouth” and “MA-JUST” programs, Gomez highlighted the efforts made by the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Supreme Council of the Judicial Power (CSPJ) and the Ministry of Justice, as well as by other stakeholders, to improve the protection of children from dangerous and abusive online content.

She noted that Morocco has taken significant concrete measures in this field, including the implementation by the General Directorate for National Security (DGSN) of the “e-blagh” platform dedicated to reporting illegal content, as well as the creation of the “Morocco Cyber Confidence” space and its reporting platform, which allow for the anonymous prevention of cases of violence and cyberbullying and enable the very rapid removal of such content through reliable partnerships.

Gomez further pointed out that the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe are working in collaboration with the relevant Moroccan authorities and institutions to help develop effective strategies against the online exploitation and sexual abuse of children.

Meanwhile, the EU representative in Morocco, Antonio Casado, noted that the Kingdom was among the first countries to ratify the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, thereby illustrating its commitment to enhancing the protection of children against online exploitation.

Casado also stressed that the EU is determined to continue its cooperation with the Kingdom in the fight against online exploitation and sexual abuse of children on the Internet, reminding that the psychological and social repercussions of this phenomenon can be severe for their future lives.