In many countries this definition means that the threshold age at which a child is protected against exploitative use in pornography is determined by the age of consent. The Council believes that the standard should apply to all children under the age of 16, regardless of the age of consent. The Council recommends that, in determining the age of a child for the purposes of child pornography, the standard in the Convention is accepted as the general rule subject to there being no exception for children who are, or appear to be, under the age of 16 years. Pornography The Council considers that, while there are a large number of definitions of child pornography, the definition in Article 2 (c) of the recent Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography to be the most appropriate. Article 2 (c) defines child pornography as, ... any representation by whatever means, of a child engaged in real, or simulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a child, the dominant characteristic of which is depicted for a sexual purpose. The Council considers that it is important to recognise that the subject matter of a representation includes any abuse or mistreatment of a child for sexual purposes. International standards The Council considers that the means adopted to combat child pornography on the internet must be consistent with international human rights norms. In this context the Council noted the competing rights of freedoms of expression, privacy and freedom of information and those which protect and promote the best interests of the child. However, the Council concluded that the child's best interests should be given paramountcy given the proven physical and emotional harm inflicted on them by child pornography. In this regard the Council notes that all Forum member countries have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and find that the principles in Article 3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child should govern the resolution of this matter. Article 3 states that, 3