Dear decision makers in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden and all Members of the European Parliament,

As public figures, lawyers, human rights experts, and advocates for the well-being of our children, we join over 48 child rights organisations to urge you to support a new EU proposal to safeguard our children from perpetrators of child sexual
abuse and grooming online.

We put safety caps on medicine bottles, helmets on heads, and stabilisers on bikes. We cover plug sockets, secure stairs, and fasten seatbelts. We have never been better at keeping our children safe – so why can’t we keep them safe online?

Children’s right to be protected shouldn’t be limited to the oine world. Child sexual abuse is a problem that reaches into our homes through our tablets, phones, and laptops. It is a global issue, but hardly anywhere in the world has
introduced laws to stop it.

In the coming months, the EU has an opportunity to change that. A new EU proposal would make it compulsory for tech platforms to design safe services for our children; to detect, report, and remove child sexual abuse material from their
platforms and protect our children from grooming online. As political leaders in the EU, your actions over the coming weeks will determine the global response to online child sexual abuse.

These measures can be put in place in a way that both protects children online, and respects privacy laws. What’s more, research shows that people in Europe overwhelmingly support these proposals.

Our plea is simple: protect our children. We have the chance to transform the internet from a platform of potential harm into a safe haven for our kids. We can protect our children and our privacy. Let’s seize this opportunity together.

Yours sincerely,

Aisling Bea – Actor, writer & comedian
Alba Flores – Actor
Anamaria Marinca – Actor
Anja Rubik – Model & activist
Anke Kuhl – Children’s book illustrator
Asabea Britton – Midwife and influencer
Axel Scheer – Illustrator
Cathy Kelly – Author
Clare Azzopardi – Writer
Claudia Gerini – Artist
Daniel Brühl – Actor
David Machado – Author
Dennis Bergkamp – Former professional football player
Diogo Amaral – Actor
Dragos Bucur – Actor
Elsa Hosk – Model
Ewa Farna – Artist
Helena Christensen – Goodwill Ambassador, photographer, model
Inés Sastre – Actress & model
Jessie Buckley – Actor
Joanna Kulig – Actress
Karine Le Marchand – TV host & producer
Krista Kosonen – Actress
Laetitia Casta – Actress, film-maker & producer
Laia Costa – Actress
Ludivine Sagnier Actress
Markéta Irglová – Singer-songwriter & musician
Michele Morrone – Actor
Nanna Øland Fabricius/ Oh Land – Musician
Nick Sharratt – Illustrator
Olivia Colman – Actor
Pierce Brosnan – Actor
Sarah Crossan – Author
Sharon Horgan – Actor & writer
Vanessa Springora – Author and publisher
Yury Revich – Violinist and composer
Zrinka Cvitešić – Actress

Fernanda Bonacho, Professor – Escola Superior de Comunicação Social / IPLisboa
João Torres, Professor Adjunto – Escola Superior de Educação do Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal
Dr. Ákos Kozma, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary – Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary
Charel Schmit, Ombudsman – Kanner a Jugendlecher
Eleni Drakopoulou, Developmental  Psychologist – Panellic Association For Adapted Activities Alma
Lidia Marôpo, Associate Professor, Polytechnic Institute of Setubal
Danielle Kennan, Assistant Professor – UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, University of Galway, Ireland
Susana Batista, Assistant Professor Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Dr. Maximilian Wanderwitz, Professor University of Applied Sciences Trier
Ann Rava-Lynn – IB Educator
Marion Macleod, Freelance Researcher in Child Welfare and Protection Researcher
Murielle Thibierge-Batude, President #IWAS Association
Peyré Virginie, Speaker Les Ami(e)s de Romy
Cristiane Miranda, Cofounder Agarrados à Net
Dr Ariella Rosita King, Founder & President Ariel Foundation International
Adriana de la Osa Guijarro, Directora General Asociación Estatal de Acogimiento Familiar (ASEAF)
Helena Escalada Pardo, Presidenta Asociación Estatal de Acogimiento Familiar (ASEAF)
Sónia Rodrigues, Presidente Associação AjudAjudar
Iro Michael, Head of Help Centre – Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (APHVF/ SPAVO)
Jessica Airey, Europe Campaign Manager – Brave Movement
Lianna McDonald, Executive Director Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Ulla Siimes, Executive Director Central Union for Child Welfare, Finland
Elena Colpaert Child Focus
Tine Knockaert, Case Manager Child Focus Belgium
Corinne Dettmeijer, Chair Supervisory Board Child Helpline International
Patrick Krens, Executive Director – Child Helpline International
Tatiana Ivanic, Executive director – Child Safety Line Slovakia (Linka detskej istoty)
Elise Sijtho; Journalist publisher – ChildPress.org
Laura Olalde – Project Assistant – ChildPress.org
John Carr Children’s Charities’ Coalition on Internet Safety
Elizabeth Gosme, Director COFACE Families Europe
Sara Sechi, Executive Secretary Don Bosco International
Av. Altin Hazizaj, LLM, MA, General Director, Attorney at Law ECPAT Albania
Astrid Winkler, Executive Director ECPAT Austria
Lea Peters, ECPAT Deutschland e.V. (ECPAT Germany)
Guillaume Landry, Executive Director ECPAT International
Celine Verheijen Defence for Children, ECPAT Netherlands
Ann-Kristin Vervik, Executive Director ECPAT Norway
Carme Tello Casany, President – ECPAT Spain/Federación de Asociaciones para la Prevención del Maltrato Infantil fapmi
Florence Elie, Fondatrice & Présidente Elien Rebirth
Mieke Schuurman, Director of Child Rights & Capacity Building – Eurochild
Trendafil Meretev, Projects and Advocacy Manager – For Our Children Foundation – Bulgaria
Silvia Moroder, President Fundación ANAR
Marija Manojlovic, Safe Online Director Global Partnership to End Violence
Agnieszka Kozielska, Deputy CEO Happy Kids Foundation
Anna Hauser, Child Protection Coordinator Happy Kids Foundation
Agnieszka Smoczynska, CEO Happy Kids Foundation
John Tanagho, Executive Director – IJM Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children
Julia von Weiler, Psychologist, CEO Innocence in Danger e.V.
Fernando Pascanu, Social worker Institutionalised Youth Council Cluj
Paula Paçó, Head of national and International Cooperation – Instituto de Apoio à Criança
Martina Raytchinova, International Programme Directo – Concordia
Susie Hargreaves OBE, CEO Internet Watch Foundation
John Church, CEO ISPCC
Guido Fluri, President Justice Initiative and Guido Fluri Foundation
Valérie Andanson, hub director Justice Initiative France
Dr. Sarah Stüber, Managing Director Kindermitte e.V.
Deborah Denis, CEO Lucy Faithfull Foundation
Victoria Green, CEO Marie Collins Foundation
Aage Leven, Secretary General Missing Children Europe
Angela Demeter, Membership Ocer Missing Children Europe
Natalja Kurcinskaja, Director Missing Persons’ families support centre
Tito de Morais, Founder MiudosSegurosNa.Net
Jovanka Lazarevic, Editor-in-chief NajboljaMamaNaSvetu.com
Anna Lára Steindal, Project Manager for Children and Youth – National Association of Intellectual Disabilities, Iceland
Eszter Harsanyi, CEO NestingPlay
Pelopidas – Alexios Nikolopoulos Lawyer (LLM), Advocacy Officer – Network for Children’s Rights
Peter Wanless, CEO NSPCC
Ninetta Kazantzis, President – Pancyprian Coordinating Committee for the Protection and Welfare of Children (PCCPWC), Cyprus
Carles López Picó, President Plataforma de Infancia
Julien Van Geertsom, former president PPS Social Integration, Fighting poverty and social economy (Belgian administration)
Mary Theodoropoulou, Founder and Director Roots Research Center
Mr. Costas Yannopoulos, President, Board of Directors – Smile of the Child
Sanja Škorić, Secretary and Vice-President – Society “Our children” Opatija / Union of Societies “Our children” Croatia
Lidia Giglio, Representative to the EU SOS Children’s Villages
Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen, Executive Director Suojellaan Lapsia ry Protect Children
Alketa Lasku, Regional Child Protection and Safeguarding Adviser for Europe – Terre des hommes European Regional Office Hungary
Valerie Ceccherini, Secretary General Terre des Hommes International Federation
Julie Verhaar, CEO Terre des Hommes Netherlands
Emily Slifer, Director of Policy Thorn
Stephanie Futter-Orel, Executive Manager WAVE Network (Women Against Violence Europe)
Iain Drennan, Executive
Director We Protect Global Alliance
Rebeca Paiva, Youth Delegate Brave Movement
Selma Kaymakci, Youth Delegate Brave Movement
Natálie Terčová, Research Specialist Masaryk University
Maja Staśko, activist and journalist Poland
Scharliina Eräpueo, Artist/Actress & Miss Finland Finalist, Youth Delegate – Protect Children
Myriam Hunfeld, Youth Delegate Brave Movement
Sanjivani Mauleón Etxeberria, Student, Youth Delegate – YEAs initiative