Page 32 - SAMENA Trends - October 2019

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Zain Group in Collaboration with Broadband

Commission for Sustainable Development Publishes
Report on Child Online Safety

The Co-Chairs of the Broadband Commission Working Group children. “There is a clear and urgent global need to work together
on Child Online Safety, Zain Group and the World Childhood to ensure that connectivity embellishes our children’s experience
Foundation USA (Childhood) announced the publication of a new of the world, rather than impairs it,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin,
report on Child Online Safety: Minimizing the Risk of Violence, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU.” Today’s
Abuse and Exploitation Online. The report is a collective effort new report and Declaration by the Broadband Commission
and draws upon the expertise of the Broadband Commissioners Working Group on Child Online Safety are welcome and valuable
and experts from around the world. The report was presented contributions to the global store of best practice, as well as
at a high-level meeting at the UN, “Children & the Digital World: serving as important new inputs to ITU’s Child Online Protection
Threats and Opportunities”. Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, framework.” Scott Gegenheimer said, “Child Online Safety is a
Founder of Childhood attended and delivered a keynote address. topic that is of great importance for Zain and we are committed to
Broadband connectivity brings many benefits to children, playing our key role in addressing this on a global level. Our region
including access to education and entertainment, it also has a has conflicts and challenges that are quite unique compared to
dark side to it as it exposes children to major risks and threats other places in the world as well as the highest share of youth
online as well as different forms of violence and exploitation, such in the world, coupled with a rising broadband connectivity rate.
as child sexual exploitation and abuse, bullying and radicalization, It is imperative for organizations which are based in the region,
among other critical vulnerabilities. The new Child Online Safety to be at the forefront of the effort to protect the most vulnerable
report gathers the available evidence on the scale and nature of victims both in the physical world as well as in cyberspace.” Zain
the risks and harms children face online and provides actionable continues to champion the cause of child rights and protection
recommendations for how to prioritize children’s online safety. given that challenges in tackling the dark side of connectivity are
The report was developed under the leadership of Dr. Joanna mounting. The report aims to raise the prioritization of child online
Rubinstein, President & CEO of Childhood USA, and Zain Group safety among all key stakeholders and decision makers including
CEO of Operations, Scott Gegenheimer who co-chair the working
group. A key point made in the report is that we need to prioritize
child online safety, especially in anticipation of the expansion of
the broadband in the developing world where most children live
today. All the stakeholders, governments, regulators, operators,
Internet service provider, NGOs and civil society and academia
have to join forces in implementing common strategies to make
the Internet safer for children in order to help prepare future
generations to thrive in the digital space. These steps include
incorporating measures addressing child online protection in
the national broadband plans, ensuring that applications and
services are age-appropriate and save per design, and that we
deploy technology-driven solutions to improve child online safety.
Commenting on the publication of the report, Dr. Joanna Rubinstein
commented, “Millions of children are online every day using
digital devices. They benefit from getting access to information,
education and entertainment. However, they are also exposed to
abuse and exploitation including sexual abuse, bullying and even
radicalization. It is our duty to prevent this from happening and
requires collective action. This report demonstrates the necessity
of taking action now and sheds light on how we can take practical
steps to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16.2
calling on ending all forms of violence against children by 2030.”
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 and
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – which this year
celebrates its 30th anniversary – represent the global commitment
to a better future for all, especially to children. In 2018, the
Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development established
the Working Group for Child Online Safety with the primary
objective to raise awareness of the online risks and threats to

32 OCTOBER 2019