PRESS RELEASE
14th November 2007
For immediate release
In particular, they felt that such dialogue was needed to create the foundation for putting in place a system that would ensure the protection of children online while safeguarding the freedom of expression.
PRESS RELEASE
13th November 2007
For immediate release
CHILD PROTECTION ORGANISATIONS CALL FOR GREATER DIALOGUE WITH FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ADVOCATES AT IGF TO ESTABLISH COLLABORATIVE ACTION ON CHILD PROTECTION.
Following on from the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon statement of the importance of protecting children online at the inaugural session of the second IGF in Rio, [i] members of child protection organisations present have been active in contributing to the sessions of the Forum, demonstrating a range of ways in which various stakeholders can take practical steps to better protect children under the issue of internet governance.
Today, at the IGF workshops on protecting children against sexual exploitation through ICTs children’s organizations regretted that so few industry representatives and freedom of expression advocates were present. One representative from the industry underscored the need for face to face open dialogue around the regulatory measures being undertaken and proposed for child protection and the imperative to protect freedom of expression.
The workshops highlighted the work of NGOs and their collaboration with industry and government concerning online child safety. Increasingly NGOs are working with industry to develop self-regulatory frameworks which respond to public concerns regarding the risks and harms experienced by children in the online environment. However such initiatives appear to be limited to a few developed countries and only a small number of industry stakeholders. This signals that the value of such partnerships in shaping policies and programmes has yet to be recognized if the global challenge to end the exploitation of children through information and communication technologies is to be met.
David Butt, an ECPAT Board member and legal expert on child abuse cases says,
“The broad consensus across civil society, industry and government on the need to protect children from sexual exploitation online is of paramount importance. It provides a great opportunity for progress, but the challenge is for all sectors to build on this consensus constructively and comprehensively.”
John Carr the Chair and spokesperson for Children’s Charities in the
“There is no necessary contradiction between the desire to protect children online and the desire to protect free speech online”
Margaret Moran a member of Parliament in the
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[i] “One particular area of hope, but also concern, is the relationship of children and young people with the Internet. The Internet has opened new doors to them, to knowledge and culture. Yet, it can also present a threat to their safety. The program of this year’s meeting has a strong focus on the protection of children. And I hope that it will contribute to making them safer.” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon statement of the importance of protecting chidren oline at the inaugural session of the second IGF in
As a representative of EU Kids Online, I am participating in Child Safety Online group at IGF. We produced the following press release:
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PRESS RELEASE
12th November 2007
For immediate release
CHILD PROTECTION ORGANISATIONS WELCOME UN SECRETARY GENERAL’S STATEMENT OF THE UN’s COMMITMENT TO CHILD ONLINE SAFETY AT IGF IN RIO.
Representatives from a number of leading Child Protection organisations meeting at the Internet Governance Forum in
Members of child protection organisations working towards online child protection in very many parts of the world are addressing the very real online safety issues for young people. Members are contributing to a number of key sessions at the IGF meeting including;
The groups recognise the enormous value of the Internet has for children and young people but are increasingly seeing at first hand how children and young people are at risk from inappropriate contact, content and excessive commercialism online.
John Carr one of the members of the group representing children’s charities in the
Stephen Balkam CEO of the FOSI (Family Online Safety Institute) in Washington says, “We are increasingly recognising the shared responsibility we all have for ensuring that children can use the internet and mobile services safely. Education in school and for parents is crucial but this has to be complimented by better tools and services from industry players as well as appropriate government oversight .”
Carmen Madrinan CEO from ECPAT
“Whilst we welcome the recognition of the importance of child protection online, we need to ensure that we go beyond words and realise the practical implications for protecting children’s rights and providing safer environments and secure services for young people online. It is crucial that the voice of the Child is consistently heard.”
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From now on (I am not exactly sure for how long, cos there is some strategic thinking to be done after yesterday, when I found out internet could not be connected to the flat I live in as there is no telephone connection), things will be delayed on this blog … if it is possible to do more delaying than I am actually doing already;))
So Hamburg … was really nice. Mostly due to two major factors: I had been set into a *MEGA* room, which was nearly an apartment (it was bigger than my current apartment) in the hotel we were staying at.
Upon arrival, the receptionist (which I also believe was the owner of this petit fine hotel) said:
“Miss Lobe (putting an accent on “o”, pronouncing it in a very German way (Lobe is a German surname anyway)), you have been put in a room 16, which is my favorite room!”
That sounded quite promising to me. So I was expecting kind of more-than-on-average nice and cosy room. But when I had actually entered, I was astonished by its actual size and furniture. It had a big double bad on one side, then on the other side, a huge sofa and two armchairs and a little table. Above the sofa, a few meters tall palm-tree was climbing up to a quite high ceiling. In yet another corner there was a working desk and the entrance to a *huge* terrace. And the bathroom … well, it was enormous, needless to say with a huge bath.
So I was telling to one of my friends from the network what a huge rooms were in there. She said hers was not particularly big but was nice. Just after coming back from the dinner, she stopped by and was literally shocked. We soon figured out from the house plan that it was of a size of four standard rooms. As I *love* big spaces, this was a lucky day for me indeed;)
Well.
I didn’t quite have the time to enjoy all that ‘luxury’ as we had been quite busy with our EU Kids Online meeting, which was really enjoyable and efficient itself. After starting off the project late June in London, this was our second ‘whole network’ meeting, but with some of the members we met in September in Luxembourg.
To tell it in short, our aim is to identify as many studies as possible across Europe regarding children’s access to and use of the internet and new online technologies (we basically already did this, and so far available data can bee seen on our page). Next, we are trying to understand this data itself as it derives from different social, cultural and national context and to compare these studies as to identify the changing risks and safety concerns associated with children and new media uses. Finally, we will produce some best practice research guide for those interested in conducting research with children and will develop evidence-based policy recommendations for raising awareness, media literacy and other practical actions to promote safer use of the internet and new online technologies for children.
What I like the most, is the enthusiasm and effort every involved researcher in the network is putting into the project.
All in all, I saw a very little of Hamburg (I took the above picture 5 minutes before my departure on Sunday morning) but no regrets as we really did some big steps forward in our work;)