Tiivistys suomeksi: Ulkoministeriö on pyytänyt Allianssia lausumaan Lanzaroten sopimuksen täytäntöönpanoa valvovan Lanzarote-komitean Suomen maakohtaisen profiilin päivittämisestä osana Suomen kansallista toimeenpanosuunnitelmaa vuosille 2022-2025, joka on laadittu lasten suojelemiseen seksuaaliselta riistolta ja seksuaaliselta hyväksikäytöltä.
The Finnish National Youth Council Allianssi thanks the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the possibility to give a statement on the matter at hand. It’s encouraging that Finland has a national engagement plan 2022-2025 to implement goals of the Lanzarote Convention to strengthen measures and cooperation and to thereby act on sexual violence against children and youth. At the same time appropriate funding is essential to be indicated to make sure the plan’s actions are fulfilled accordingly.
Especially digital platforms should be drawn attention to regarding safety of children and youth on social media and the internet. Allianssi advocates for a coordinating governmental institute in Finland which would lead the supervision of implementing the national engagement plan to make sure agreed actions are taken, for example regarding sexual violence against children and youth both executed and spread on digital platforms. This is a matter to be treated with remarkable urgency since digital material regarding sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of minors has been on the rise both nationally and internationally.
Finnish crime legislation in regard of sexual offenses will from the beginning of 2023 emphasize active consent, which is a favorable change in how sexual crimes are defined. At the same time the upcoming legislation doesn’t cover the safety of minors as well as it should on digital platforms. Sexual violence should by law be treated with the same degree of severity regardless of where its executed, face to face or online.
Funds and know-how of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation and local police should be taken into account to ensure resources for investigations that are both sensitive and also fast enough from the perspective of children and youth. At the same time active engagement of children and youth in hearings ought to be a top priority to further develop national legislation, policies and practices to strengthen national safety against sexual violence and to also enhance international interventions in the matter.
Helsingissä 8.9.2022
Touko Niinimäki
Tasa-arvo- ja yhdenvertaisuusasiantuntija
044 416 5235
touko.niinimaki@nuorisoala.fi
