Introduction

1. Children's Rights and Child Protection: What’s that got to do with the Internet? Vernon Jones Save the Children Denmark

2. Introduction Save 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 Online safety for children

3. 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 Online safety for children

4. 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 Online safety for children

5. 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 Online safety for children

6. 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 Online safety for children

7. 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 Online safety for children

8. 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 >> Online safety for children

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10. 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 Online safety for children

11. 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 Online safety for children