[kictanet] Press release from ITU on Child Online Protection

Wed May 20 14:00:48 EAT 2009

FYI - I will forward the guidelines tomorrow or day after.

Best regards,

Brian

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <pressinfo.mailb at itu.int>
To: <cristina.bueti at itu.int>
Date: Wed, 20 May 2009 12:19:52 +0200
Subject: Guidelines proposed for Child Online Protection (COP) initiative -
Focus on children, parents, teachers, policy-makers and industry
  [image: International Telecommunication
Union]<http://www.itu.int/net/home/index.aspx>
  [image: ITU] Press Release
For Immediate Release
 [image: Contact us]   Press and Public Information
Service<http://www.itu.int/home/feedback/index.phtml?mail=pressinfo>
   Guidelines proposed for Child Online Protection (COP) initiative
  Focus on children, parents, teachers, policy-makers and industry
  *

Geneva, 20 May 2009 -
* Guidelines for the protection of children in cyberspace were presented as
drafts for discussion on Monday, 18 May in connection with the theme for the
2009 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The draft guidelines
will be reviewed at the Strategic Dialogue on Safer internet Environment for
Children in Tokyo, 2-3 June.

The final Guidelines on Child Online Protection will be issued at ITU T
ELECOM WORLD, 5-9 October 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. Comments will be
accepted until 30 June 2009.

ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré asserted that "we must do everything in
our power to create a healthy online environment for our children". He said
he was confident that "a secure cyberspace for our children will not remain
an ideal but will become a reality". Dr Touré recognized the importance of
the draft guidelines prepared in close collaboration with numerous UN
agencies and other organizations, including UNICRI, INTERPOL, and the
European Commission.

"In choosing 'Protecting Children in Cyberspace' as the theme of this year's
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, ITU and its Members
hope that the many activities that accompany this event around the world
will mark the start of a year-long 'Call for Action' of awareness-building
which targets policy makers, industry, educators, parents and children, as
well as helping garner further high-level international support," said Mr
Sami Al Basheer, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau.

The Guidelines on Child Online Protection (COP) are aimed at establishing a
safe and secure cyberworld for future generations. The set of four
guidelines advocate empowering children and young people through education
and awareness; providing information, advice and safety tips for parents,
guardians and educators; and providing key information to policy makers as
well as to industry in order to formulate national and international
strategies.
* Empowering children *

As children and young people become digital citizens in an online world that
has no borders or frontiers, it is critical that threats to their well being
must be addressed by all stakeholders, including children themselves. They
are urged to learn to use their computers and online devices safely,
including the installation of firewalls and anti-virus software and how to
spot unusual communications.

The draft guidelines examine children's online rights, harmful and illegal
content, cyber bullying, privacy and online commerce. Presenting the
Guidelines for Children, Mr Dieter Carstensen, Project Manager of Save the
Children Fund pointed out that the best form of defence in protecting
children is to make them aware of what can happen online and provide options
and solutions.

For children, a set of *SMART* rules have been spelled out with regard to:
*

S

*etting limits *

M
*eeting online friends offline *

A
*ccepting invitations/friendships *

R
*eacting *

T
*elling someone about their concerns * Guidelines for parents and educators
*

Ms Isabella Santa, an expert with the European Network & Information
Security Agency (ENISA) pointed out that parents and educators must work
together and become familiar with the Internet sites that are accessed by
children and decide what is appropriate and safe online. ENISA is promoting
awareness among parents to enhance the safety of children using virtual
worlds and the Internet. ENISA believes that knowledge of what children can
do online and parental involvement are crucial. Parents must be educated,
empowered and engaged to ensure truly positive and valuable experiences for
their children, while reinforcing safety online habits in the process.
* Guidelines for Policy-Makers *

Mr John Carr, Secretary, Children's Charities' Coalition on Internet Safety
(CHIS) presented the draft Guidelines for Policy-makers. Noting that the
Internet has become a tremendously enriching and empowering technology with
children and young people among its major beneficiaries, the Guideline
suggests that national governments have an obligation to provide for the
protection of legal minors in both the "real" and "virtual" worlds.
Governments and policy makers have a major responsibility to set up a
sustainable framework within which an appropriate national and multinational
response can be developed. In doing so, the Internet industry and its
stakeholders will have important roles to play, not least because the speed
with which the technology can change means that many of the traditional
methods of law or policy making no longer fit this purpose.
* Guidelines for industry *

Ms Natasha Jackson, Head of Content Policy, GSMA presented the draft
Guidelines for Industry. In many countries around the world, industry is
taking a lead and adopting voluntary and self-regulatory approaches that
demonstrate commitment to developing a responsible approach to children's
use of online ICT and communications. It is very much in the industry's
interests to take action, to get ahead of the curve, not only because it is
the right thing to do from a moral perspective, but also because, in the
longer run, it will help develop public confidence in the Internet as a
medium.

In a statement, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) welcomed the launch of
the Child Online Protection Initiative and the creation of common Guidelines
for Industry in a converged digital world. Broadcasters are ready to jointly
identify solutions - based on self-regulation or co-regulation - that can
improve the situation for children on all platforms. This can succeed if it
embraces all actors along the chain: from children themselves to governments
and regulators, the media and international institutions. Only a
multi-stakeholder approach can achieve success on such a complex issue.

According to the draft Guidelines for Industry, collaborating with local
broadcasters should be very helpful in terms of developing such an
understanding. It is also important to understand how the local legislation
perceives the 'location' of content and determines the 'place' at which a
service is delivered or received.

"The EBU strongly believes that widespread media literacy is the best and
ultimate protection for children," said Jean Réveillon, Director General of
the European Broadcasting Union. "EBU Members have large experience in this
field and we look forward to sharing our know-how with all of you in the
common work to come."
* Child helplines *

International Child Helpline Day marked in tandem with World
Telecommunication and Information Society Day on 17 May, focused attention
on the use of communication tools to help children access the information
and resources required when needed. "Through our partnership with Child
Helpline, an international NGO, we are currently lobbying telecommunication
administrations around the world to consider allocating a common global
number that would provide direct access to helplines run by organizations
dedicated to child protection and welfare," Mr Al Basheer said.
*

For more information, please visit
* www.itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/cop/ *or contact: *  *Sanjay Acharya
*Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
ITU
Tel: +41 22 730 5046
Mobile: +41 79 249 4861
E-mail: sanjay.acharya at itu.int     *

About Child Online Protection
(COP)<http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/About_COP.html>
*  About ITU <http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/aboutitu.html>
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-- 
Brian Munyao Longwe
e-mail: blongwe at gmail.com
cell:  + 254 722 518 744
blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com
meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com
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