International Youth Advisory Congress: London, 17-21 July 2008

21 July 2008

International Youth Advisory Congress: Key recommendations

The first International Youth Advisory Congress (IYAC) on online safety and security was launched in London on Thursday 17th July.

The Congress saw more than 140 delegates - aged between 14-17 years - from countries as diverse as the USA, Australia, Egypt, Argentina, India, Poland and Namibia, coming face-to-face and working with those responsible for internet safety and security: representatives from government, industry, law enforcement and the media. It gives young people - specially chosen to represent their countries - the chance to shape the internet and online environment for children and young adults across the world.

The initiative is being led by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre - the UK’s dedicated organisation for tackling the sexual abuse of children - and is supported by the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT), an international alliance of law enforcement agencies focused on tackling child sexual exploitation.

On Monday 21st July, the young delegates presented the Congress outcomes to the sector representatives.

The presentations gave an early insight into the themes that will be taken forward for submission to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. They included the following points:

Media

• Media should use their influence to advertise existing internet safety films and data. Sensationalist reporting to attract public attention is justified as long as it is followed up with accurate and responsible information.
• At IYAC, many effective online safety films from across the world have been reviewed. It would be in the best interests of children and young people for broadcasters and advertisers to show these existing films on television, on the sides of buses, on billboards and in online pop-ups. This would reach a huge and relevant audience, who would otherwise remain unaware.
• The media should involve young people in reporting online safety: today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders.

Industry

• Delegates called for a mandatory and universal browser-based 'report abuse' button embedded on the toolbar of each browser and on all social networking sites. This should require only two clicks to report any problem, without even leaving the webpage. Additionally, an easy-to-access tutorial about internet safety should be built into browsers.
• Delegates asked that IP addresses should be shown with every message put on line (chat rooms, messenger etc) to provide greater accountability for online activities.
• Delegates called for the setting up of international online safety Industry Advisory Panels, made up of youth and industry leaders to represent current issues in their countries to government authorities.
• Competition can lead to better products but if the industry sector does not work collectively with education, young people, government, the media and others we will not be able to safeguard the future of young people.

Law Enforcement

Delegates looked at sex offender registration issues, comparing the systems in the US, UK and Australia and recommended that:

• All convicted sex offenders should be registered and required to report regularly to law enforcement
• Personal information about child sex offenders should not be released to the public unless they go missing and need to be relocated (the delegates felt that Megan’s Law in the US is ineffective, suggesting that it results in a greater number of child sex offenders going missing)
• For those convicted sex offenders that have failed to report, their personal information should be released

Virtual Global Taskforce:

• The delegates have called for a world-wide Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) with mandatory participation for all countries.
• At present the Virtual Global Taskforce participation (comprising the UK, USA, Italy, Canada, Australia and Interpol) is not enough. Delegates concluded that it doesn’t matter whether a child lives in Zimbabwe, or Afghanistan, or Italy, or New Zealand. The internet is available on an international scale and children and young people are entitled to online safety protection wherever they are.
• Minimum standards of training should be provided by the VGT for all law enforcement agencies globally so that every single young person, regardless of residence, has access to the same level of protection.
• Delegates condemned the fact that currently an online predator can be prosecuted in one country but ignored in another.

Government

• It should be mandatory for browsers and websites to carry the ‘Report Abuse’ button - small, unobtrusive, powerful (see above)
• Governments need to use their collective powers to put pressure on the media and on industry to promote online safety issues as part of their social responsibility programmes.
• Governments should implement trans-border agreements between nations to promote online safety

Education

• There should be a global homepage on browsers which carries internet safety guidelines. This would open every time someone logs onto the internet, meaning the online safety guidelines would be readily available to every child internet user worldwide.
• Young people might all speak different languages but they have one thing in common – they all use the internet. The internet is the future and young people want to ensure that it is a safe one for them and for future generations.
• As the internet is a worldwide resource, young people across the world should be given online safety education classes.
• Every child is entitled to an education and online safety education is vital in today’s society. We think that the UN needs to listen to our views and to value the importance of online safety education.
• Delegates want teachers, governments, parents and other adults to be confident in their understanding of online safety issues in a way that means they are able to pass on their wisdom to other adults and young people.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

• Delegates called for the term 'child pornography' in the UNCRC to be replaced with 'child abuse images'.
• Delegates have suggested that Article 12 in the UNCRC should refer to both the online and offline world.
• Delegates recommended the launch of a global IYAC online forum accessible to registered users. This would be used to post ideas and report their individual views, opinions, and experiences. It would be a place for international citizens to bounce thoughts and theories off each other. This forum would reflect these thoughts and feelings and therefore should be taken seriously by media, government, industry and law enforcement worldwide which is definitely in the best interests of children in a global community.

Notes to Editors

1. In addition to UK delegates, international delegates attended IYAC from the following countries:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Canada
• Denmark
• Egypt
• Greece
• Iceland
• India
• Italy
• Namibia
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Poland
• Republic of Ireland
• Spain
• Sweden
• USA
• Zimbabwe

2. Visit www.iyac.net for more information or contact Miriam Rich, Vicky Gillings or Clive Michel at CEOP on 0870 000 3434.

3. The Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) was set up in 2003 in order to build a global response to tackling the sexual exploitation of children. The UK, US, Australia, Canada and Interpol were all founding partners and were recently joined by Italy. Full details on the work of the VGT can be found at www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com.

4. The CEOP Centre - www.ceop.gov.uk - is the UK’s dedicated policing organisation focused on tackling the sexual abuse of children. It delivers a totally holistic approach combining specialists from across UK and international police forces as well as the wider child protection community such as the NSPCC and industry such as Microsoft, SERCO, VISA Europe, Ford, Vodafone, and PayPal.

Thursday 17 July 2008

World’s youth pave the way to safer internet at groundbreaking London congress

Up to 150 young people from across the globe have arrived in the UK for the first law enforcement-led International Youth Advisory Congress (IYAC) on online safety and security.

The outcome will be the Children and Young People’s Global Online Charter which will be submitted to the UN for inclusion in the 2009 Resolution of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Congress sees delegates - aged between 14-17 years - from countries as diverse as the USA, Australia, Egypt, Argentina, India, Poland and Namibia coming face-to-face and working with those responsible for internet safety and security: representatives from government, industry, law enforcement and the media.

The initiative is being led by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre – the UK’s dedicated organisation for tackling the sexual abuse of children - and is supported by the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT), an international alliance of law enforcement agencies focused on tackling child sexual exploitation.

The five-day Congress will give young people, specially chosen to represent their countries, the chance to shape the internet and online environment for children and young adults across the world.

The event empowers young people by providing a platform on which they, the main inhabitants and drivers of online environments, can meaningfully engage with those delivering and working with online environments. It is a chance to explore the risks of the increasingly converged online and offline environments and to outline a roadmap of solutions and possibilities.

This will build the strategy for industry, government, law enforcement and education sectors when tackling future online issues.

Major corporations and organisations are contributing to the success of the IYAC initiative. Visa Europe, Microsoft, Virgin Media, ACS International Schools, Becta, the European Commission, and PayPal are on board providing support, resources and specialist expertise. The Prime Minister, Sir Richard Branson KBE and others are personally supporting IYAC through video messages to the delegates.

Stephanie from Belfast is a member of the CEOP Centre's Youth Advisory Panel and has been part of the early planning for the IYAC sessions:

“I have been using the internet since primary school and have seen it grow and become part of my life in many ways - I can’t remember a time without the internet being there. So for me it makes obvious sense to involve young people in making the virtual world safer. We know how it works and we push the opportunities it presents as much as we can. If I could pass on one message to my peers it is this - visit www.iyac.net and find out how you can become involved in this programme. If I could pass on one message to anyone out there responsible for or working on making the internet safer I would say work with and listen to us. We might not have all the answers but we do have a lot of user experience and together I think we can make a real difference.”

Brandon a delegate from Toronto, Canada, adds:

“I'm excited to be part of the Canadian delegation at the IYAC event. We are encouraged that police and industry want to hear from us and want to do something about making the Internet safer for everybody.”

Rauna, representing Namibia, agrees:

“IYAC is good for youth for child online protection. We can communicate it to Namibian children and educate them. It's good for getting more knowledge of the online safety from other people. Internet is good for teaching.”

Jim Gamble is chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce and heads up the UK’s CEOP Centre:

“The International Youth Advisory Congress is truly breaking new ground: not only are young people engaging directly with those responsible for their online safety and security, but it is underpinned by law-enforcement through the Virtual Global Taskforce partnership.”

“IYAC is about inclusion and opportunity. Major corporations and many others behind the scenes have made this event a reality with their commitment, with their expertise, with their resources. Our intention is to start small and build up over the years. After all, young people are the natives of the online world, it is they who have made online and offline environments a converged reality and it is they who should have a real say in how they want to be protected.”

Notes to Editors:

1. Visit www.iyac.net for further information. In addition to UK delegates, international delegates are attending IYAC from the following countries:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Canada
• Denmark
• Egypt
• Greece
• Iceland
• India
• Italy
• Namibia
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Poland
• Republic of Ireland
• Spain
• Sweden
• USA
• Zimbabwe

2. For interview requests please contact Miriam Rich, Vicky Gillings or Clive Michel at CEOP on 0870 000 3434 and visit www.ceop.gov.uk.

3. On the morning of Thursday 17th July ONLY please contact: RED PR consultancy on 020 7025 6500 – ask for the CEOP team.

4. Statements of commitment from Visa Europe, Microsoft, Virgin Media, ACS International Schools, Becta and the European Commission accompany this press notice. Specific media contacts for each organisation are also included.

5. The Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) was set up in 2003 in order to build a global response to tackling the sexual exploitation of children. The UK, US, Australia, Canada and Interpol were all founding partners and were recently joined by Italy. Full details on the work of the VGT can be found at www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com.

6. The CEOP Centre is the UK’s dedicated policing organisation focused on tackling the sexual abuse of children. It delivers a totally holistic approach combining specialists from across UK and international police forces as well as the wider child protection community such as the NSPCC and industry such as Microsoft, SERCO, VISA Europe, Ford, Vodafone, and PayPal.

7. Becta is the government agency leading the national drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning.

8. ACS International Schools enrols over 2,500 students aged between 2.5 and 18, from more than 70 countries, at three London area campuses in England. The schools are non-sectarian and co-educational, with both day and boarding available.