Introduction to the Plan

The joint collaboration of public institutions, experts and third-sector organizations produced the “National Plan for the Prevention and Combating of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation 2025–2027”, a tool designed to strengthen the national system of child protection against sexual abuse and exploitation.

The Plan proposes eleven actions that outline a framework of concrete, feasible, assessable and achievable measures in accordance with current legislation. These measures aim to prevent child abuse, facilitate the early detection of such cases, strengthen data collection and monitoring, promote the Italian model for combating pedophilia and child pornography internationally, raise awareness among minors and highlight the role of the family. The Plan is structured around four strategic areas (prevention, education, health and cross-cutting action) and 11 actions with specific objectives, achievable through the tangible commitment of institutional actors and the third sector, in conjunction with society as a whole.

Action 1 - training professionals

The first action focuses on prevention through the development of shared national guidelines regarding training standards for professionals working with minors. Proper training of professionals is essential to support victims and effectively address their needs. 

Through a process of strengthening prevention, this action aims to develop a training model focused on the risks to which minors are exposed and the timely identification of warning signs. The training, designed according to the needs of different professional roles, promotes an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, creating networks of cooperation among various stakeholders. 

Action 2 - resources for child protection

The second action also falls under the category of prevention. It aims at developing effective operational tools in settings where minors are present, through an integrated protection network and the involvement of relevant stakeholders, in order to prevent and manage cases of abuse.

The goal is to foster trust and active listening, breaking down the wall of isolation that separates child victims of abuse from society and providing them with the tools they need to protect themselves and recognize warning signs. To achieve these objectives, it is essential to strengthen child protection systems through a “Child Safeguarding Policy,” as well as to consolidate collaboration between communities and institutions.

Action 3 - supporting families

The third action aims to build a safety net for minors and empower families: involving parents and raising their awareness is a key aspect of protecting children and adolescents and preventing risky situations.

Parents must be provided with practical guidance to protect their children from online risks and dangers, shielding them from exposure to inappropriate, pornographic and violent content.

The goal is, therefore, to reinforce a widespread culture of child and adolescent protection within the family through awareness-raising and information on the phenomenon of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Action 4 - digital education

The fourth action shifts from prevention to digital education, which aims to provide minors with the communication and cognitive tools they need to recognize situations of risk and ask for help. A significant contribution comes from informational sessions conducted by the Postal and Cyber Security Police in schools. Particular attention is given to issues related to the widespread exposure and interaction of children and adolescents with the digital world, such as cyberbullying.

Action 5 - digital health

The fifth action falls within the realm of health, specifically the promotion of minors’ digital health, through a study on the risks of internet access, which highlighted the potential negative effects of minors’ early exposure to digital stimuli. Negative consequences can impact mental and physical health, learning, and family relationships, as well as expose minors to online abuse and child pornography.

Action 6 - digital education agreements

Action 6 also falls within the educational sphere and is aimed at promoting local digital education agreements, including those designed to prevent and combat abuse and violence against minors.

These pacts are the result of an agreement between families, schools, and institutions and are intended to promote best digital practices and guide families, always safeguarding the mental and physical well-being and safety of children. Families need support in implementing these educational pacts and in fostering a healthy relationship between their children and the digital world. At the same time, children need informed guidance on the use of digital devices.

Action 7 - best practices for case management

The seventh action concerns the potential implementation of systems of care and support for child victims through national and international practices that are child-centred and guarantee protection, care and support. Cooperation between educators, law enforcement agencies, judicial, social and social-healthcare professionals and third-sector organisations is essential in the care process, both in the short and long term. Furthermore, emergency interventions must be combined with the development of more comprehensive interventions by local systems.

Action 8 - preventing abuse and supporting victims

The eighth action aims at developing guidelines for the diagnosis and care of child victims of sexual abuse or exploitation. 

The early identification of cases of sexual abuse and exploitation is crucial to ensuring appropriate intervention in the care and treatment of the victim, adopting a multidisciplinary approach that combines medical, psychological, legal, social and educational aspects. It is also of fundamental importance to make early and accurate diagnoses and to apply appropriate scientific methodologies to the treatment and care of the short-, medium- and long-term psychological consequences associated with sexual abuse. Experts may hold hearings to explore the specific aspects to be addressed in greater depth. 

Currently, at the national level, the care and support provided to minors who are victims of sexual abuse or exploitation varies widely and does not always correspond to best practice or to the intervention methodologies deemed effective by the international scientific community. For this reason, it is necessary to develop a standardised model of interventions to ensure adequate and timely care and to enhance the professional qualifications of practitioners providing assistance and support to victims. 

Action 9 - juvenile offenders

In order to effectively protect children and young people from sexual abuse and exploitation, it is necessary to implement measures targeting minors who commit such offences. One of the main objectives in dealing with minors who commit sexual abuse and exploitation is their rehabilitation through programmes or intervention measures that address the needs of the young offenders, as also provided for in Article 16.3 of the Lanzarote Convention. 

Consistent levels of care and treatment must be ensured nationwide, and the rise in cases of sexual abuse and exploitation committed by minors must be addressed, in line with the Guidelines on intervention with children and families in vulnerable situations and the Guidelines for foster care and residential care.

The guidelines must be approved in a plenary meeting by the Observatory for the combating of paedophilia and child pornography.

Action 10 - strengthening the Observatory

The next-to-last action in the Plan falls within the area of prevention. The aim is to draw up a technical and statistical document on the functioning and organisation of the database of the Observatory for combating paedophilia and child pornography, designed to integrate the data. 

The Observatory’s database collects useful information to analyse and monitor the phenomenon of paedophilia. To develop data collection, the structure of the database needs to be reorganised through a technical-statistical document that defines the methods for collecting, processing and consulting the data. 

Currently, the database allows for an analysis of the phenomena of paedophilia and child pornography from a sectoral perspective; to overcome this sectoral approach, an integrated database needs to be built to facilitate the analysis of data from different sources. 

Finally, it is deemed appropriate to publish an annual report setting out the main findings emerging from the data analysis, which would also serve to raise public awareness of the observed phenomena.

Action 11 - promotion of the Italian model

The eleventh and final measure set out in the Plan lies within the cross-cutting area of action. The aim is to promote and disseminate, at an international level, the Italian model for preventing and combating the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. This need stems from the global spread of internet use, which has made the phenomena of child sexual abuse and exploitation increasingly transnational.

At the international level, Italy is recognised as a proactive actor for its constant commitment in preventing and combating the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, through the promotion of good practices and the sharing of effective operational models. The “Italian model” features regulatory, operational and policy-making instruments that can be shared and promoted internationally to improve national policies and practices developed in the fight against the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. In order to promote an international dialogue and disseminate the Italian model, Italy has submitted its candidacy to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the period 2026–2028. 

Final considerations

The 2025–2027 National Plan reflects a commitment to tackling the issue of child sexual abuse and exploitation in a comprehensive approach, focusing on prevention, victim support, holding perpetrators to account and their treatment and improving monitoring mechanisms.

The integrated and multidisciplinary approach set out in the Plan aims to build a solid and coordinated protection network, capable of responding promptly and effectively to cases of abuse, in a context increasingly shaped by the digital dimension.

At the same time, the Plan highlights the need to overcome the current fragmentation in the management of victims and perpetrators of abuse and in data collection, by promoting consistent standards and more advanced tools for analysis and monitoring.

Finally, the importance of the international dimension is emphasised, in particular the importance of cooperation in countering these phenomena. In this sense, the Plan is not only an operational tool but also an opportunity to consolidate a culture of protecting children’s rights.