Page 18 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2019

CHILD ONLINE SAFETY SAMENA TRENDS

fact that there are several strong initiatives, the need to tackle this pandemic. This the Index.
both on the national and intergovernmental Autumn, several key events have taken From the start twenty years ago, Childhood
level to combat child sexual abuse online, place to accelerate action to protect has worked to develop and support
but investments are far from meeting the children online – at the Royal Palace in innovative solutions and methods to
needs. Even in high-income countries with Sweden, at the Vatican and at the Global empower children and families and reduce
two decades of internet growth behind Summit at the African Union. Our ambition the risks for sexual abuse and exploitation.
them, there are gaps in the online child- with this round-table meeting was to forge Through the years, those risks and the
protection eco-system and the knowledge new collaborations, learn from each other potential solutions have changed forms
about potential technical solutions is and increase the number of actors and and internet is now a part of ordinary lives
limited. Law enforcement agencies in resources focused on fighting online child for most children. However, says Paula
low-income countries where the risks sexual abuse. We are very happy to say that Guillet de Monthoux, we should not forget
for children online are increasing in an we already see this happening as a result that in most cases, sexual abuse is still in
alarming pace fight an uneven struggle of the meeting- says Paula Guillet the most cases committed or facilitated by
with limited resources and lack of access Monthoux, World Childhood Foundation. someone close to the child. We therefore
to technical tools to investigate online need to continue working directly to
related crimes against children. There is Another example of how World Childhood empower children and families and protect
a huge need to educate children, families Foundation has been advocating for them through tech solutions. Even though
and professionals about the risks online. increased global commitment to fight the abuse takes place online, neither the
In order to prevent a potential tsunami child sexual abuse is the initiative and child nor the perpetrator are digital and
of online related child sexual abuse as support to launch the first of its kind research shows that online abuse can be
broadband expansion reaches the poorest, benchmarking Index on Child Sexual as traumatic and harmful for a child as
governments and the tech industry need Abuse “Out of the Shadows: Shining light contact abuse. This knowledge led to a
to work together to ensure that protection on the response to child sexual abuse and unique sentence in Sweden last year the
mechanisms are in place. exploitation. With support from Childhood first conviction in a child rape case, where
USA, Oak Foundation and Carlson Family a man was convicted for child rape, even
Finding the right balance between the Foundation the Index developed by The though he had never actually physically
privacy of the adult user and the privacy Economist Intelligence Unit covers 60 met the victim.
and protection of children countries representing more than 70%
Besides resources and knowledge, a of the world´s children. The ambition With Artificial Intelligence mankind now
key to protect children online is the is that the Index will help to assess the have unprecedented possibilities to
heated discussion around privacy- progress toward reaching the Sustainable accelerate the fight against child sexual
and the increasing use of end-to-end Development Goal 16.2 – ending abuse, abuse online, but the same technique,
encryption which makes it more difficult exploitation, trafficking and all forms of in wrong hands or without adequate
for law enforcement to receive reports violence against and torture of children regulation and safeguarding routines may
about suspected abuse online. The by 2030. The importance of the private also lead to disastrous consequences.
tech companies and regulators are still sector to reach the goal is highlighted in
searching for the balance between the
right of individual users to privacy – and “We need advanced technology to be developed with a
at the same time ensure that people that
misuse technology to abuse children can child safeguarding perspective in mind. By people and
be identified and brought to justice. companies that not only look at profit, but who are willing
to take responsibility for how their technology is used – or
Digital abuse. Real children.
The Round-table meeting marked the end misused. This is especially important when it comes to AI.
of the 20th anniversary of World Childhood With such a powerful tool – we cannot afford to fail. We
Foundation, founded by her Majesty Queen
Silvia of Sweden who decided to lend her need to make sure that it is right from the start.”
voice to spotlight the global problem of
child sexual abuse and exploitation. At that Queen Silvia of Sweden in her closing remarks at the AI
time, few people talked about this issue
on a global level. Since then, more and Roundtable
more people are starting to understand

18 NOVEMBER 2019