1. WGCC Working Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk 2007 - 2008 Chairperson: Adviser Anniki Tikerpuu, Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonia Head of Children’s Unit Lars Lööf Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat (CBSS)

2. WGCC Working Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk Priorities: 1. Sexual exploitation in all its formsforms 2. Unaccompanied and trafficked childrenchildren 3. Children living in the street 4. The Rights of Children in institutionsinstitutions 5. Young offenders and self destructive behaviour in childrenchildren

3. WGCC Activities during the year – pointing to the future  The Rights of Children in Institutions – Expert meeting on monitoring systems and child participation, September 2006 – Conference: “ The Rights of Children in Institutions in the Region of the Baltic Sea States - Improving Child Participation, Monitoring and Post Placement Assistance ”, November 2006 – Programme adopted by the WGCC includes: 1. Developing training for staff working with monitoring in order for the monitoring of children ’ s rights in institutions to include the Council of Europe Rec (2005):5 2. Implement a pilot training on monitoring skills 3. Mapping of resources assisting young persons leaving institutions in order to facilitate a better coordination of efforts and of learning – Cooperation with the Council of Europe and the Nordic Cooperation on Disability, NSH, under the NCM.

4. WGCC Activities during the year – pointing to the future  Baltic Sea Regional Study on Adolescent Sexuality – Regional report from the study launched in Oslo on the 27 th of September by Minister for Children and Equality, Ms Karita Bekkemellen 1. Study calls for urgent actions relating to the level of sexual harassments experienced by teen age girls 2. Urgent action needed responding to the high level of reported incidences of sexual abuse 3. High proportion of boys are abused 4. Only a small minority of children sell sex. Those that do have a bad health situation and suffer more adverse life circumstances than do other children. EU Policy on the rights of the child. CoE Convention on the Protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse  Children abused in the context of the Internet – Follow up to expert meeting organised in May 2006 1. Report from the expert meeting published in cooperation with Swedish Children ’ s Welfare Foundation (Allm ä nna Barnhuset) 2. A web based template gathering data world wide on how children are affected by abuse in the context of the Internet, developed by the World Childhood Foundation, WCF, in coop with the WGCC. International meeting planned to promote the form 3. Organise an international follow up meeting in cooperation with the Swedish Children ’ s Welfare Foundation 4. EU Safer Internet Programme and the WGCC in cooperation with the Russian Ministry of Education to look at the possibility of organising a conference in Moscow on the topic of Children Abused in Internet Settings EU Policy on the rights of the child, EU Safer Internet Programme

5. WGCC Activities during the year – pointing to the future  WGCC programme on Unaccompanied and Trafficked Children – BSR CACVT 1. Training programme implemented with more than 50 experts participating from 10 countries in the region 1. Contact details of experts that are trained are shared with the National Contact Points, National Coordinators and with the TFOC Expert Group on Human Trafficking 2. Evaluation and experiences of the training will be assessed jointly by the WGCC and the CBSS TFTHB on the 24 th of October, in order for the two groups jointly consider lessons learned and gaps to address. 2. Mapping project ongoing looking at how children in the region that are trafficked are assisted including interviews with child victims 1. Mapping is ongoing and result to be published in early 2008. 2. Assessing the mapping in cooperation with the CBSS TFTHB at the joint meeting on October 24 th. 3. National Contact Points, NCP 1. Operational in all countries except Germany and Russia 2. 4th Meeting of National Contact Points organised in Warsaw in cooperation with the Polish Ministry for the Interior and Administration in May 2007. 3. Outcome of the meeting to be considered by the WGCC in the updated Plan of Action on Unaccompanied and Trafficked Children: 1. Disseminating more broadly the NCPs as nodes of information and contact on a national and regional level 2. More discussions and guidelines on when a child can/should be returned to country of origin 3. Need to identify children victims of exploitation in criminality 4. Roundtable meeting looking at how to regionally follow up on the UN Study on Violence Against Children especially as it relates to violence in the context of trafficking 1. Meeting to be organised with relevant regional stakeholders EU Policy on the rights of the child, CoE Convention Against the Trafficking in Human Beings

6. WGCC Activities during the year – pointing to the future Young offenders and self destructive behaviour in children 1. Expert meeting: “ Assistance to Children at Risk of Committing Crimes and Reintegration of Children with a Criminal Life Style ” organised in St Petersburg on the 12 th to 14 th of November by the WGCC and the Russian Ministry of Education and Science.

7. WGCC Activities during the year – pointing to the future – Associated Expert Group to the Northern Dimension Partnership on Health and Social Wellbeing Increased cooperation on programming and analysing level with the partners to the partnership that are not members to the CBSS 1. Discussing ways to expand the cooperation with non-CBSS partners. 2. Inviting the partnership to link to the WGCC work where adequate 3. Plans of activity and plans of actions published on the NDPHS website 4. Sharing networks and avoiding all duplication 5. Other areas of cooperation such as the Riga conference: “ Reducing Alcohol Problems in the Baltic Sea Region” where the WGCC chaired the workshop on harm caused to children.

8. WGCC Methods used  Expert meetings  Defining common areas of concern  Identifying gaps  Outlining areas for action  Expert input to the WGCC  Conferences  Political support  State commitments and joint funding  Unique networking  Web site  Regional information on children at risk  Networking possibilities online  Calendar

9. WGCC Expert meetings 05- 08  Expert meeting on Care, protection, rehabilitation and reintegration for unaccompanied and trafficked children ( Kiev April 05)  Expert meeting on supporting boys and girls leaving institutions (Yaroslavl September 05)  Expert meeting on Child friendly forensic investigations (Reykjavik May 06)  Expert meeting on support to children abused in Internet settings (Sätra Bruk, Sweden, May 06)  Expert meeting on monitoring the rights of children in institutions. (Oslo September 06)  Expert meeting on Children committing crimes and with a self destructive behaviour. (St Petersburg, November 2007)  Expert meeting giving input to the monitoring training. (Tallinn, January 2008)

10. WGCC Important partners  NGO cooperation – ECPAT Europe – Developing training manual for law enforcement and social workers on children and trafficking and adapting the manual to national needs – Save the Children Alliance – Unaccompanied children, children without documentation – Separated Children in Europe Programme  Nordic Council of Ministers – Trafficking coordination – transparency new NCM project on prevention of trafficking presented at 4 th NCP meeting in Warsaw May 8 th.- 9 th. – Nordic Cooperation on Disability – Using the two programmes to complement and using each others ’ resources  The Council of Europe – Rec (2005)5 on the Rights of Children in Institutions – Europe wide work on follow up of World conferences on sexual exploitation – Promoting the CoE Convention Against Trafficking in Human Beings  EU – Violence against children on the Internet – Coordination of the fight against trafficking – European Forum for the Rights of the Child – (1 st forum in Berlin on the 4 th of June)  Foundations and partners – Oak Foundation – World Childhood Foundation – Save the Children

11. WGCC There is always something to learn - - and always something to teach

12. WGCC Working Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk 2007 - 2008 Chairperson: Adviser Anniki Tikerpuu, Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonia Head of Children’s Unit Lars Lööf Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat (CBSS)