24/10/2017
The programme, which is funded by the European Commission, held its first workshop against cybercrime in Quito, focusing on the fight against sexual abuse in childhood.
The European Commission programme EL PAcCTO brought together in Quito representatives from 12 Latin American countries who specialise in cybercrime for a workshop focusing on combating the sexual abuse of minors. The general aims of the meeting were the standardisation of procedures, research methodologies and the prosecution of cybercrime and creating an inter-institutional and international work dynamic against cybercrime.
Members of the specialist public prosecution services and police forces of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay analysed the capabilities, possibilities and practical needs of investigations by the police and public prosecution services into the use and distribution of child pornography. They also identified the lack of legislative and organisational measures in the various countries taking part to strengthen international cooperation on cybercrime. Taking part in the workshop were also two experts from the Public Prosecutor for Computer Crime and the Spanish Civil Guard who specialise in this type of crime.
All the proceedings will be compiled into a number of documents that will contain working guidelines and internal procedures to be used to standardise the processes in the different countries. It should be noted that this is the first time that a multidisciplinary, multinational team of this type has met, with a firm commitment to combating the sexual abuse of minors.
The protection of children is a joint commitment between Latin America and the European Union. In fact, most Latin American states have included in their legislation the crimes of creating pornographic materials with minors, distributing or exchanging them and simply being in possession of them.
What is EL PAcCTO?
EL PAcCTO is a programme funded by the European Commission and implemented by the FIIAPP and Expertise France with the assistance of the Instituto Italo-Latino Americano (IILA) and the Instituto Camoes in Portugal. Its main aim is to fight organised crime by strengthening the institutions that are responsible for ensuring the safety of the citizens of 18 Latin American countries.
