MOSCOW, April 1 - RAPSI. The government has approved the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, according to the document posted on the official legal information website on Monday.

The convention, adopted by the Council in 2007, introduced uniform standards for combating child prostitution, pornography and the sale of children. The document summarizes Europe's experience in dealing with these crimes and recommends signatories to bolster the entire range of national legislative policies aimed at eradicating these problems.

The Russian Cabinet has also approved the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, adopted by the UN General Assembly on May 25, 2000. The government has forwarded the document to the president who will submit it to parliament for ratification.

The Protocol is aimed at expanding the steps that participating states must take to protect children from the above practices. In late 2012, President Vladimir Putin instructed the government and the State Duma to initiate the procedure for ratifying the Convention and the Protocol in 2013.