Children's Rights and Child

Protection: What’s that got to

do with the Internet?

Vernon Jones Save the Children Denmark

IntroductionSave the Children Denmark and online safety for

children:

• Child rights organisation• Hotline against child pornography 1998• First Danish conference on child safety and the internet

2001• Awareness campaigns and research into children’s use

of interactive technology• Projects combating child sexual abuse and exploitation

since 1996

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Chat survey 2003 13 year old Danish children

• 70% use internet 2-6 times a week

• 53 % use chat on the internet (13 % of these more than 1 hour a week

• 21% say that they often or always lie when chatting

• 17% of chatters have met someone from chat in real life

• 12% don’t feel comfortable while chatting

• 17% get offers relating to sex while chatting

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Children – The chatting generation

• Children love communicating and exchanging ideas through modern technology

• 77% of children have PC at home and 98 % of Danish 13 year old have a mobile phone

• Today, online live communication include chat via Internet chat rooms, messenger programs, mobile phones, online games, with webcam

• Anonymity is an important feature of chatrooms – make chat make children feel less shy and offers opportunity for playing roles / change identity

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The most serious online risks

• Anonymity of online chat appears to attract adults with a sexual interest in children

• Cases show seriousness of problem

• University of New Hampshire Study 2003: 13-15 year old girls are at highest risks – and appeared to defend the (young) offender

• Children have not developed the social skills and competence to protect themselves from potential abusers who use the grooming process

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What are the Answers from a Children’s rights perspective?

• More than one answer to the chat danger: the risk of meeting potential offenders online is a new face of an old social problem

• The dilemma of technical solutions – censorship or protection in terms of the rights of the child?

UN Convention on the rights of the child:

• Article 13 – the child’s rights to seek, receive and exchange information

• Article 19 – the child’s right to protection from all sorts of abuse

• Article 34 – the child’s right to protection from sexual exploitation

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Issues to move on:

• Political level: An understanding of the problem. Allocate resources to prevent all forms of child sexual abuse

• Empower children to safely use modern technology through education in schools etc.

• Chat providers/mobile operators to engage in research and awareness and information

• NGOs – Advocacy and the child’s perspective >> next slide shows examples of the work in Save the Children Denmark

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Safe chat campaign 2001

• Co-operation with Danish Crime Prevention Council• Focus: contact offences

• Meetings with chat providers• Brochures to all Danish pupils 10-17 years • Posters to all Danish Schools and libraries• Post cards to “clubs” and schools• Website www.sikkerchat.dk >>

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Safe chat campaign website www.sikkerchat.dk

• Targets both adults and children • Background on sexual abuse and the

internet• Basic information on chat and internet• True stories• Safety rules• Discussion forum• Online counselling • Educational material for teachers• Sound spot

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Educational material for teachers

• Online material + hard copy in “teachers’ libraries”

• What is chat /why children love it• What are the dangers• What’s a good chat• Safety rules• True stories• Examples of chat sessions• Questions and ideas for work in the classroom• Sound stories• Print-outs with safety messages

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