The new provisions were approved by 70 votes in favour, no votes against and three abstentions, the Seimas press service said.

The amendments provide that persons found guilty of criminal offences against sexual self-determination and integrity of children, including sexual abuse, using a child for pornography, and purchase or sale of a child, are banned from working with children in the future. These persons will be prohibited from working or volunteering for institutions, companies and organisations providing social, educational, sports, and healthcare services for children.

The new provisions stipulate that a recipient of services, who concludes a contract with a self-employed person for the provision of services to a child, will be entitled to ask a provider of services to submit a certificate of criminal record. Accordingly, persons wishing to work or do volunteer work will have to hand in a certificate of records on a natural person in the Register of Suspected, Accused and Convicted Persons to an employer or an organiser of volunteer activities.

The amendments adopted are also aimed at ensuring that confidentiality rules do not prevent experts from reporting to authorised institutions when they have reasonable grounds to believe that a child is victim to sexual exploitation.