THE DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH VISITS BRUSSELS
Wednesday 26th to Thursday 27th March 2025
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh, as Patron of the NSPCC and Plan International UK, is visiting Brussels, Belgium for a programme of engagements on tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse, both online and in communities.
This afternoon, the Duchess, alongside Ms Jess Phillips, UK Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, attended an event co-hosted by the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights. Addressing an audience of senior European and international decision makers and representatives from the tech sector, Her Royal Highness delivered a keynote speech to draw attention to the harm that is being caused by child sexual exploitation and abuse, and the opportunity that exists to build in safeguards to offer more protection to young people.
Afterwards, the Duchess listened to a panel discussion encouraging a global response to address the prevalence and severity of these crimes, particularly in the digital world.
Her Royal Highness later attended a reception with the panellists, including survivors, representatives of the EU institutions, representatives from the UN and NGOs advocating for change.
Tomorrow, the Duchess will join a roundtable discussion with global child rights NGOs on the shared aim of protecting young people from sexual violence and abuse. The group will discuss the evolving threat online, the importance of incorporating victim and survivor knowledge in tackling this crime and the shared responsibility for all areas of society to engage on the issue to find solutions.
