ITALIAN COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN MOVEMENT (CIME)
Legal Headquarters: Via Angelo Brunetti 60, Roma
Telephone: (+39) 06.36001705
Email: segreteria@movimentoeuropeo.it
Website: https://www.movimentoeuropeo.it/
Child Protection Policy
Introduction
The Italian Council of the European Movement in Italy (hereinafter, “CIME”, “the Organisation”) recognizes that all children and minors have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, violence, exploitation, and neglect. In all its activities, the Organisation is committed to guaranteeing a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment, where the well-being of minors is always a priority. The purpose of this Policy is therefore to define the procedures through which CIME undertakes to reduce the risks of mistreatment in the activities carried out by the Organisation.
CIME therefore wants to present itself as a safe organisation for children and adolescents, by creating an environment that recognizes them as active subjects, protecting their integrity and well-being, supporting their potential, listening to and valuing their voice, and adopting practices that favour risk prevention and conscious participation. This Child Protection Policy establishes the principles, rules, and procedures that the personnel, volunteers, collaborators, and partners of the Organisation are required to comply with.
Objective of the Child Protection Policy
The objective of the Child Protection Policy is to establish clear and concrete guidelines to prevent, identify, and respond to situations of abuse, neglect, or any other type of risk that may threaten the safety and well-being of minors directly or indirectly involved during the activities of the European Movement in Italy.
This policy applies to all activities that CIME organizes and promotes, with particular reference to activities carried out within the framework of projects co-financed and financed by the European Commission under European programs such as Erasmus Plus and CERV.
Terms and Definitions
Minor: any person under the age of 18.
Abuse: any form of physical, psychological, emotional, sexual mistreatment, or severe neglect against a minor.
Exploitation: the commercial or other use of a child employed for activities that benefit others. This includes child labour and child prostitution. These activities damage the psycho-physical, educational, spiritual, moral, and socio-emotional development of the child.
Fundamental Principles
- Right to protection: every minor has the right to grow up in a safe, healthy, and protected environment. This right must be guaranteed in every context, whether it is a family, educational, or social environment.
- Prevention: the Organisation is committed to preventing any form of abuse or harm to minors, by adopting educational, training, and awareness-raising strategies aimed at both operators and project beneficiaries.
- Safety education: minors involved in the Organisation’s projects must be made aware of their rights and appropriate behaviours to adopt, to foster a context of trust in which they can express any concerns regarding their safety.
- Continuous training of operators: all members of the Organisation, including external collaborators, must participate in specific training courses on child protection, to promptly identify and respond to any risk situation.
- Respect for privacy and confidentiality: all personal or sensitive information concerning minors must be treated with the utmost confidentiality, in compliance with privacy and data protection regulations.
Legal References
CIME recognizes that child protection cannot disregard compliance with international and national laws that protect the rights of children. Therefore, this Policy is inspired by and complies with the following regulations and principles:
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989, it represents a fundamental international legal instrument for the protection of minors’ rights. It establishes the right of every child to be protected from all forms of abuse, exploitation, and discrimination, recognizing the importance of their physical, mental, and emotional development in a safe and loving environment. The Convention also establishes the principle of the best interests of the child, which must be prioritized in all decisions concerning them.
Law 154/2001 – Provisions against domestic violence and violence
In Italy, Law 154/2001 provides specific measures for the protection of minors from abuse and mistreatment in the family and social sphere. The law establishes the methods of intervention by the competent authorities and institutions involved in child protection.
Law 269/1998 – Protection against the sexual exploitation of minors
Law 269/1998 strictly defines and sanctions the crimes of child prostitution, child pornography, child sexual tourism, and the possession of child pornography material. The law places a strong emphasis on prevention, victim protection, and the repression of crimes, providing significant penalties for transgressors.
Directive 2011/93/EU
The European Directive of the Parliament and of the Council of 13/12/2011 against the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and child pornography provides a legal framework for the protection of minors at the European level, which CIME undertakes to comply with in its activities involving minors.
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Article 24
The Charter recognizes the right of minors to the protection and care necessary for their well-being, guaranteeing respect for the best interests of the child and the right to be heard.
Operational Guidelines
- Staff selection and monitoring: CIME ensures that all persons involved in projects with minors, in any capacity, are carefully selected and subjected to suitability checks, within the limits permitted by the GDPR privacy regulations.
- Risk assessment: before the start of each activity, the Organisation will carry out a risk assessment related to the safety of minors, with particular attention to aspects relating to the physical environment, group dynamics, and resource management.
- Privacy protection and personal data management: CIME guarantees full compliance with European and national regulations on personal data protection, including GDPR and the Privacy Code.
- Data collection: all information concerning minors must be collected lawfully, transparently, and for specific purposes, related to project activities.
- Release form for audiovisual material: a release form signed by the person exercising parental responsibility is mandatory for the acquisition, use, and dissemination of photos, videos, and audio recordings that portray minors recognizably.
- Data retention: data and audiovisual materials must be retained only for the necessary time and protected from unauthorized access.
- Content dissemination: the publication of materials involving minors must comply with strict safety criteria, avoiding any information that could make them identifiable in sensitive contexts.
- Clear communication: minors and their families must be informed about the content and objectives of the project, the intervention methods, and must be made aware of the procedures for reporting situations of distress or abuse.
- Reporting and intervention mechanisms: CIME sets up a clear and accessible system for reporting any situation of risk, abuse, or transgression. Every report will be treated with the utmost seriousness, respecting privacy and with the collaboration of the competent authorities, if necessary.
- Timely and appropriate intervention: in the event that a risk situation is detected, the Organisation will immediately activate an intervention plan and, if necessary, report it to the competent authorities.
Monitoring and Review
The Child Protection Policy will be subject to periodic review, with the involvement of experts in the field. CIME, through a continuous evaluation process, is committed to monitoring the effectiveness of its protection policies, ensuring they are always updated and adequate to regulations and best practices in the field.
Conclusions
CIME is deeply convinced that the protection of minors is a fundamental value and that every young person has the right to grow up in a safe, protected, and respectful environment. With the adoption of this Protection Policy, the Organisation reiterates its constant commitment to guaranteeing the well-being of minors involved in its projects and to preventing any form of abuse or distress. The protection of minors is and always will be at the centre of CIME’s activities.
Approval date: 01 January 2026
Signature of the Head of the Organisation: Pier Virgilio Dastoli