The Lanzarote Committee of the Council of Europe considers that Andorra has made progress in the protection of children against exploitation and sexual abuse facilitated by the information and communication technologies (ICT)but maintains several recommendations to adapt its legal framework and strengthen prevention, investigation and assistance to victims. This is clear from the monitoring sheet updated in March 2025 with the information provided by the Government of Andorra.
The Committee notes that Andorran legislation continues to allow a minor may incur criminal liability if it produces, possesses, distributes or disseminates sexual images of minorsincluding those that he himself has generated. The document indicates that the minor’s consent has no legal validity in this context, while remembering that the criminal responsibility of minors is governed by a different regime with educational and preventive purposes.
The Committee also notes that Andorra does not foresee one specific exception so that minors are not persecuted when voluntarily and consensually share sexual images among them for strictly private use, one of the recommendations he keeps open. However, remember that the Court of Courts can agree to archiving of the criminal procedure conditional on compliance with measures disciplinary or educational.
Regarding the investigation of crimes, the document highlights that Andorra already has specialized police unitsjuvenile prosecutors, judges trained in sexual violence against children and active participation in the international database of Interpol on child sexual exploitation (ICSE). As follow-up actions, the Government informs that during 2025 specific training on ICT-related sexual crimes is planned for judges and prosecutors.
The file also states that they have strengthened educational programs to inform students about the risks of internet and sexual offenses related to new technologies, as well as the use of technological tools to detect and prosecute these crimes.
In terms of assistance to victims, the Committee highlights the launch of the free phone 175operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, which offers confidential information and advice in any situation of risk or vulnerability of a child or teenager. The service also supports communications through the website of the ministry competent and works in Catalan, Spanish and French. The document also mentions the b-resol application, powered by Andorra Telecom, so that students can anonymously communicate situations such as cyberbullying or other conflicts.
In terms of prevention, the Government reports on several initiatives promoted during the 2024-2025 academic year, including the campaign “10 tips to enjoy the networks safely, or almost”the interactive play who’s whothe workshop This is not sex, aimed at raising awareness 14 and 15 year olds on the risks of pornography on the internet, as well as annual police activities on the prevention of technological crimes in schools.
The file also includes other practices that the Committee considers positive, like the UNITS project to improve the early detection of risk situations in educational centers, the work to implement a model inspired by the Barnahus for the attention to victims, the initiatives of Andorra Telecom to protect minors on the internet and the development of Action plan for digital well-being of children and adolescents, included in the country’s digitization strategy.
