Experts Agree On Child Protection
18 Jun 2009
The Strategic Dialogue on Safer Internet Environment for Children took place in Tokyo, Japan.
A communiqué issued at the closing highlighted agreements on developing a framework for achieving safety, promoting voluntary self-regulatory initiatives in the private sector and improving user literacy to increase awareness among children and young people as well as among parents, guardians and educators.
Draft guidelines on Child Online Protection (COP), which have been prepared in close collaboration with numerous UN agencies and other organisations, including ITU, UNICRI, Interpol, and the European Network Information Security Agency were reviewed at the Strategic Dialogue.
The Tokyo Strategic Dialogue represents a significant step forward to further the child safety agenda at the regional and international levels.
It provided a platform for policy-makers, regulators, industry, civil society, research and academia to exchange views, experiences, guidelines and initiatives regarding key policy and strategic approaches in the area of child online protection.
The discussions examined the dimensions of child e-safety, including information about the dangers facing children online, the tools presently available to reduce risks, as well as recommendations and key activities which could be undertaken in this area.
Along with promoting educational and awareness initiatives, several technical measures such as filtering services and parental controls were also considered.
