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Working through local partners- by Cory Webb
During the last three decades, we have seen significant progress in advancing children’s rights to survival, opportunity, and protection, as well as their right to speak on matters affecting their lives.
A significant factor in improving the well-being of children and youth is digital connectivity. It has increased their access to information and learning resources, and has expanded opportunities for social and civic engagement. Conversely, however, the rapid expansion in digital technologies is exposing children to an increasing range of threats to their safety and wellbeing.
Globally, laws and policies to keep young people safe online are insufficient and inconsistent. This threatens children’s ability to access the positive benefits the internet offers, while also being protected from potential dangers.
As part of the Alliance’s FY22-25 Strategic Plan, Working Together to Address Emerging Threats to Children’s Safety, ChildFund has launched WEB Safe & Wise. This new initiative will focus on addressing the risks emerging in the digital environment, while empowering children and young people to become effective digital citizens.
- by Cory Webb
Policy Asks
1. Child Protection
To national government authorities:
1.1 Allocate a mandated ministry and/or lead agency to lead cross-governmental coordination to prevent online harms against children through awareness raising, education, and regulation.
1.2 Develop, strengthen, and enforce comprehensive laws that criminalize online child sexual exploitation and abuse acts (OCSEA) including, but not limited to sextortion, online grooming, and livestreaming of child sexual abuse.
1.3 Strengthen and resource existing child protection systems to incorporate online elements of violence against children and ensure that adequately resourced end-to-end social support services are available for all child survivors of online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
1.4 Allocate resources nationally during budget processes to develop training programs for parents and caregivers, frontline workers, and service providers on how to identify, report and respond to child online safety risks and suspected OCSEA.
To tech industry leaders:
1.5 Develop mandatory industry codes in consultation with young people to safeguard them online and protect them from age-inappropriate content across platforms and providers.
2. Child Participation
To national government authorities:
2.1 Prioritize resourcing for stable, wide- reaching, and affordable internet connectivity and reliable electricity infrastructure so that all children and young people have the access required to develop the necessary protective behaviors to stay safe online.
2.2 Adopt quality online safety curricula in formal and informal education settings and across urban and remote locations that develop core digital competencies (e.g., using privacy settings, understanding the permanency of online content) and good digital citizenship.
2.3 Create more community-based mechanisms for child safe disclosure and reporting of OCSEA, including parenting or youth groups linked to formal child protection systems.
2.4 Invest in dedicated development programs for children and young people that educate them about consent, healthy relationships and how to disclose abuse safely.
To civil society:
2.5 Conduct periodic research of children’s online experiences to inform policy, programming, and resourcing decisions. At a minimum, such research should document children’s levels of digital literacy and their family’s access to and use of digital technology.
- by Cory Webb
Children and families throughout Ukraine are suffering greatly in the wake of Russia’s invasion. Hundreds of thousands have fled, an unknown number have been killed, and many remain in hiding following substantial shelling and bombing.
As Russia continues to strike key cities in Ukraine, the humanitarian cost of the invasion steadily increases. U.S. officials estimate such a large-scale attack could result in 50,000 casualties and displace up to 5 million people1. Imagine being a child swept up in this crisis.
For almost 20 years, our member organization ChildFund Deutschland has worked in Ukraine and is now acting quickly to provide emergency aid to children and their families.
Since 2004, they have been supporting children going through cancer treatment, helping children from the state regulated regions of Donetsk and Luhansk recover from earlier war traumas, and organizing training classes in the eastern Ukrainian city Mariupol when poor hygiene during meal preparation interrupted learning when children fell ill. Now war is keeping them from attending school once again.
All members of ChildFund Alliance wish for a secure future, so children can once again go to school and live a life free from violence. Our members stand in solidarity with Ukraine and will continue to do so. Your support to ChildFund Deutschland will help them continue to deliver emergency relief and keep children safe as the crisis unfolds. You also can visit our member page with links to member websites to learn about their efforts to support children in Ukraine. Your help is much needed!
1 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/05/us/politics/russia-ukraine-invasion.html
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