The Lanzarote Convention is the very first international treaty establishing the various forms of sexual abuse of children as criminal offences, including abuse committed in the home or family, with the use of force, coercion or threats. The Convention also sets down concrete protective measures in order to prevent the exploitation or abuse, including the raising awareness of children themselves, and the rules of monitoring of offenders, including potential ones.

The Lanzarote Convention defines programmes to support victims of sexual abuse and ensures the protection of children during the judicial proceeding. In the scope of fight against child sex tourism, it enables to prosecute the offenders even for the acts committed abroad.