Child Sexual Abuse Under the Jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights

Sexual abuse of children is a threat to their well -being. The investigation of the offenses regarding the commitment of sexual abuse on children is individualized by the complex approach that implies, given the probative difficulties and the psychological effects of aggression on the victim-child, determined by the age particularities, the high degree of vulnerability and the insufficient physical and mental maturation of victims. This approach involves the knowledge of essential theoretical and practical elements, benchmarks that must be taken into account in carrying out the investigation. From this perspective, in this article are analysed some decisions of the European Court of Human Rights pronounced in cases of sexual abuse of children, which found that states have not complied with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.