This blog was authored by Dr Daniela Ligiero, Founder of the Brave Movement and CEO and President of Together for Girls.
Washington DC, Paris, Brussels. Three capitals, three countries, three big wins in the last seven days in the fight to end violence against children.
One of the greatest challenges in seeking to end this scourge is to persuade leaders that it lies within our power - their power - to do so. It’s the will that has to be found.
But the last week shows it is possible.
Washington, DC
Yesterday saw the signing at the White House of the Take it Down Act. This bipartisan legislation makes it illegal to “knowingly publish” or threaten to publish intimate images without a person’s consent, including AI-created “deepfakes.”
It also requires websites and social media companies to remove such material within 48 hours of notice from a victim.
It shows what politicians can do when they set aside their ideological differences and unite to keep children safe. Introduced by a Republican and a Democratic Senator, the bill sailed through Congress with overwhelming support.
"We need our leaders to take this action because digital and social providers have failed so profoundly to protect our children"
More than 300 million children have been affected by online child sexual exploitation and abuse in the last year alone, with 10 cases of abuse reported every second. In the US alone, 1 in 9 men have offended. It is a crisis expanding exponentially.
As survivors of child sexual violence, we know its impact. We also know that violence which may start online goes beyond the screen, It impacts children in the physical world through bullying, blackmail and acts of sexual violence. Now we need other governments to follow suit.
Paris
Last Wednesday it was the Prime Minister of France who delivered a major step forward in our fight for child safety and survivor involvement.
François Bayrou gave his public support - for the very first time - for the creation of a national survivor council, bringing closer the establishment of a body made-up of survivors of abuse, to advise on legislation, policies, and programs aimed at ending it.
Because of their lived experience, survivors and victims have a major role to play in combating violence against children. A National Council of Survivors and Victims is the essential body to harness this knowledge and strengthen public policies aimed at ending this violence.
The Brave Movement will be doing all it can to support the creation of this Council in France, which can amplify survivor voices, provide an exchange platform for experts and survivors and serve as an invaluable resource in the development of policies tackling child sexual violence. We hope and expect other countries to follow.
Brussels
On this day last week we saw the first ever vote by MEPs in favour of abolishing time limits in all EU countries for the prosecution of child-sex-offenders.
The Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee of EU parliamentarians endorsed - by 57 votes to 0 - the first ever EU text calling for the end of all statutes of limitations for sexual crimes against children.
Currently millions of survivors across the EU - and many other countries across the world - are deprived of access to justice by such time limits, which allow perpetrators to evade prosecution and remain in dangerous contact with other children.
The Committee also endorsed the abolition of time limits for survivors to get financial compensation from their perpetrators for the harm they have suffered due to the sexual abuse.
And the same text delivered historic recognition to survivors, giving those who have experienced sexual violence in childhood but have not been recognised as a victim by a legal process the chance to have a voice and access assistance.
Now we need all MEPs to cement the European Parliament’s role as a strong leader in the fight against childhood sexual violence in the forthcoming parliamentary vote on this text next month.
The way forward
What unites these three landmark moments, even beyond their progress towards ending all violence against children, is they show leaders can be persuaded to take action.
"We know - and can prove - that change is possible, that solutions to ending all violence against all children do exist."
We have joined with many other allies, civil society partners, child rights organisations, and activists in pressing for action. Leaders are willing to listen, in particular to survivors with lived experience of the impact of sexual violence against children.
Our work is to convince them of the urgency to act, the ability to bring about real and lasting change and the huge benefits to children, their communities and societies in doing so.
We need all governments to enact legislation and regulation to make children safe online. We need statues of limitations on sexual crimes against children abolished everywhere. And we need survivors to play a full participatory role in every country. The last seven days show it can be done. Now, let’s do it.
More like this
Take It Down Act: Awaited U.S. legislation to keep kids safe from online sexual exploitation
It specifically targets the distribution and threats of sharing non-consensual intimate images - including AI-generated content - as a federal crime, protecting survivors from further harm and ensuring that there are no loopholes for perpetrators based on location. Over 300 million children under the age of 18 have been affected by online child and sexual exploitation and abuse in the last 12 months. As the home to many of the world’s leading tech companies, the United States holds a unique position of responsibility and influence in shaping online child protection standards. The TAKE IT DOWN Act criminalizes the act of intentionally publishing or threatening to publish non-consensual intimate images, including AI-generated content, on online platforms. Violence, which might start in an online sphere, negatively impacts children in the physical world, such as bullying in school or acts of sexual violence physically perpetrated offline. Alarmingly, 1 in 8 children globally have been subjected to online solicitation, and 1 in 8 children have experienced taking, sharing, and or/exposure to sexual images and videos in the last 12 months. Online sexual violence can have serious emotional, health, and psychosocial impacts on children and youth, including into adulthood. I was a victim of technology-assisted child sexual abuse when I was 13 … It's been 21 years since my abuse, and I still live in fear of those images.
From silence to leadership: how national survivor councils can drive prevention, healing and justice
Survivors have firsthand experience and insights into the complexities, challenges, and needs of those who have suffered from childhood sexual violence. Through the creation of national survivor councils (NSCs), governments are better equipped to effectively address violence against children, especially childhood sexual violence, while ensuring that survivors play a central role in all such efforts. These councils don’t just give feedback; they help shape the actual policies that impact how we prevent and respond to childhood sexual violence. Having a council of survivors of child sexual violence substantively included in policy-making processes guarantees that the voices, perspectives, and expertise of those directly affected are heard, valued, and integrated into resulting policies and decisions. By actively involving survivors, governments can develop more informed, empathetic, and effective responses to the fight against child sexual violence. The Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues was established by the German Government in 2010 as a political hub for survivors, practitioners, researchers, and lawmakers working on child protection. The first Survivor Council at the Commissioner’s Office was formed in March 2015 to ensure that survivors' experiences and expertise are heard at the highest political level and engaged in policy-making processes related to childhood sexual violence in the country. In 2025, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, the two German parliamentary chambers, both passed a law making the Independent Commissioner, the Independent Inquiry and the German Survivor Council statutory, making sexual violence against children and adolescents something that cannot be ignored in the political sphere anymore. For instance, under the current three-party coalition between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the council had input into the continuation of the Child Sexual Abuse Fund (Fonds Sexueller Missbrauch) – a low-threshold support system for survivors of intrafamilial child sexual abuse – along with the Supplementary Aid System (Ergänzende Hilfesystem) – a support system for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. The Council aims to ensure childhood sexual violence programs and funding address survivors' needs by fostering collaboration between survivors, community organizations, and the government. The G7, which will take place in Canada in June 2025, is uniquely positioned to accelerate the global adoption of national survivor councils, setting international standards for survivor-centered approaches to ending childhood sexual violence.
Brave Movement welcomes signing of bipartisan Take It Down Act as “a step forward in protecting all children from online sexual abuse and exploitation.”
WASHINGTON DC, 19 May 2025 – The Brave Movement – a global movement of survivors and allies working to end sexual violence against children and adolescents – has welcomed the signing into law today of the Take It Down Act. Brave Movement Founder and CEO of Together for Girls, Dr Daniela Ligiero said: “ Online child sexual exploitation and abuse is an epidemic, and one growing at an exponential rate. More than 300 million children have been affected by online child sexual exploitation and abuse in the last year, with 10 cases of abuse reported every second. In the run-up to the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Canada in June, the Brave Movement has called on all G7 countries to prioritize online safety as part of greater leadership action in ending all violence against children.
The Brave Movement welcomes the French PM’s support for the creation of a victims council
Support from France’s Prime Minister for the creation of a national survivor council has been welcomed by the Brave Movement as ” An essential step towards ending violence against children in France .” The announcement, made by François Bayrou today at the National Assembly in Paris brings closer the establishment of a body made-up of survivors of abuse, to advise on legislation, policies, and programs aimed at ending it. Brave stands ready to support the creation of a Council which can amplify survivor voices, provide an exchange platform for experts and survivors and serve as an invaluable resource in the development of policies tackling child sexual violence .” Constance Bertrand, French survivor spokesperson of the Saint-Dominique de Neuilly-sur-Seine survivors' group said: “ A National Council would be an initiative that gives victims a voice and a place.
EU steps closer to ending statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse crimes: Brave Movement statement on the EU Committee LIBE vote
The Brave Movement welcomes the first-ever vote by MEPs in favour of abolishing time limits in all EU countries for the prosecution of child-sex offenders.
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