Violence Against Children in Cyberspace

From the organisation End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT International), this 96-page document builds on discussions at ECPAT’s Roundtable on Violence against Children in Cyberspace in Bangkok, Thailand, in June 2005. It discusses abuse and exploitation of children via new information and communication technologies (ICTs), including the internet, mobile phones, global positioning systems (GPS), webcams, instant messaging, and chat rooms.


From the Executive Summary: "Violence and harms against children and young people in cyberspace and in relation to new technologies include:

• The production, distribution and use of materials depicting child sexual abuse.
• Online solicitation or ‘grooming’ (securing a child’s trust in order to draw them into a situation where they may be harmed).
• Exposure to materials that can cause psychological harm, lead to physical harm, or facilitate other detriment to a child.
• Harassment and intimidation, including cyber bullying.

...The responsibility that exists in the physical world to assure children and young people of their rights and protection also applies to cyberspace and the use of new ICTs. That is, cyberspace is not an empty space but rather a social arena in which things happen to and between people and where the vulnerabilities and risk factors of the physical world remain in play."


The document names "duty bearers" in this new arena of risk as: 1) Government - "Some governments have in recent years enacted and implemented well-articulated laws, policies and systems to protect children in cyberspace. Some have set up focused taskforces and participated actively in cross-border cooperation and consultation to prevent violence against children, especially with regard to materials depicting child sexual abuse (child pornography)." 2) Private sector - "Within the ICT industry, some business entities involved with developing, marketing and selling new communications technologies (sometimes in partnership with governments) have sought to introduce child protection measures... But other than remaining within the law of the locations at which they operate (for the most part), ICT businesses do not generally incorporate child protection planning into their fundamental work and outlooks." 3) Children, families and communities - "To date, protection measures in relation to new ICTs have generally focused on individual responsibilities... Young people are agents for enacting change, protecting themselves and advising others on issues, trends and techniques for safety." However, the importance of adult caregiver education for awareness and oversight is stated, along with recognition that mobile internet access is challenging adult oversight strategies that are currently being promoted.

The document lists a variety of challenges including the fact that imagery can be recorded and transmitted through mobile technology, making pictorial pornography accessible on telephones or game consoles that are mobile and internet accessible. As stated here, a possible strategy is being sought by some businesses: implementing measures to protect children when using phones, for example, by installing age verification systems so that they will not easily be able to access pornography online (though adults may access it legally). Also stated, the expansion of online gaming, including fantasy gaming and gambling, potentially provides a new platform where children and young people will be exposed to solicitations and potentially harmful interactions with other people online. Peer-to-peer interactions including instant messaging (IM), file sharing (sometimes beginning with music sharing), chat rooms, and other peer-to-peer transmission, including online social networking sites, has opened exchanges that are not traceable. The physical presence of unsupervised children in internet cafes has increased. "In some communities, local groups are lobbying for Internet cafes to be required to operate according to safety guidelines and to implement protection measures, including the use of software to filter and block pornographic and other offensive material, and to set up user registries."

Recommendations in this document include:

• Involve the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in the convening of a global multi-stakeholder body for protecting children in relation to new ICTs. Strong collaboration world-wide of governments, private sector entities, international agencies, civil society, parents and families, and young people themselves is required to supplant territorial and fragmented approaches to safeguarding children in cyberspace.
• A multidisciplinary research agenda is required, drawing together regional networks (including universities and research centres) and having financial commitments from business and government.
• Law enforcement requires international cooperation and specialisation training and understanding of child victim protection, especially as pornographic images of children are used as evidence and child interviewing is involved in prosecution.
• National governments are urged to devise and implement legislation and to harmonise laws to protect children from all cyber crimes, while the International Criminal Court offers the opportunity for prosecution if child pornography is classified as a crime against humanity.
• Common standards for treatment and care of children affected by these forms of violence and rehabilitation of offenders need research and policy-making collaboration.
• With the participation of children and youth, development of comprehensive adult and child safety education in multiple languages, along with attention to children who lack adult protection. The regulation of internet cafes through the use of filtering devises could give public protection to these children.
• The private sector could focus attention on business codes of conduct; research, development, and sharing of child protection software; support for government efforts to make financial e-transactions traceable; hotlines supported by internet service providers to report abuse; verification-of-age processes at purchase points; and dissemination of protection information with purchase of products and online.
• Policy advocacy is urged, particularly in developing regulation that is rights-based, both nationally through government regulation and development planning and internationally through industry standards setting, monitoring, and education campaigns, as well as through regional economic and political forums.