Eurojust’s work in this field is facilitated by its designated Contact Point for Child Protection who serves as a focal point and centre of expertise for serious cross-border crimes committed against children. The role of the Contact Point is performed by a National Member with the support of a small, dedicated team, and involves the following key tasks:

• representing Eurojust in child protection and related matters, and ensuring Eurojust has access to best practice in the field;

• following the work of national authorities, law enforcement organisations and other bodies in the field of child protection;

• advising other National Members on possible tools and handling measures to use in their casework when dealing with investigations concerning children, such as witness and victim protection and Interpol’s database on missing children;

• maintaining a constant and updated statistical overview of all relevant cases dealt with in Eurojust; and

• advising the National Desks at Eurojust on the classification of the different types of criminality related to children.

Travelling child sex offences, or ‘Child sex tourism’, is a particularly challenging area of child abuse, in which Eurojust’s contribution is well recognised. Crimes involving EU citizens may take place in third countries where offences are not categorised as a specific crime, which can hamper investigations and attempted prosecutions. Member State authorities may also lack knowledge of the local judicial and cultural environment, making cross-border cooperation especially challenging.

In September 2011, Eurojust held a tactical meeting on travelling child sex offenders. The goals of the meeting were to identify the most common challenges faced in judicial cooperation in the fight against travelling child sex offenders, and to suggest possible solutions. The main outcomes of the tactical meeting are summarised in the following report.