Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: Call for information on violence against
children in and via virtual settings and new
technologies.
[20 March 2005] - The virtual world is a realm of action and influence into
which children of all social classes, cultures and regions enter from a
variety of ‘real world’ settings. Just as they face harm in physical locations
including the home, the school, the street, the workplace or the institution,
the virtual world and new technologies also confront children with the risk
of violence, be it physical or psychological or both.
In recognition of children’s strong identification with new technologies and
the virtual sphere, the Editorial Board of the United Nations Secretary-
General’s Study on Violence Against Children is calling for more detailed
information on the harms posed to children in and via new technologies
and virtual settings, including cyberspace.
Areas to be addressed within the wider study, and for which more
comprehensive information is required, include the Internet and world wide
web (encompassing chat rooms, news groups, bulletin boards and online
games using Multi-User Dimension systems), offline electronic games, web
cameras and mobile phones, and various forms of media, including
entertainment media.
At the request of the study’s Editorial Board, ECPAT International will
coordinate the gathering, analysis and compilation of information on
violence against children in relation to virtual settings and new
technologies. The ECPAT International Secretariat is consulting widely and
will bring together a multi-disciplinary group of experts to advise on the
various forms of violence related to this sphere, including sexual abuse and
exploitation, bullying and psychological manipulation.
ECPAT’s experience in seeking to combat child pornography and to protect
children against abuses in and via the online environment gives it a base
of strong links and relationships with specialists who have a wide range of
expertise relevant to the virtual world. This expertise encompasses
counselling and care for child victims of pornography; international and
national policing to combat crimes online and increasingly via mobile
phones; legal interventions; technological developments; internet service
providers and pornography-reporting hotlines. In assuming its coordination
role for the virtual settings aspect of the violence study, therefore, ECPAT
will continue to draw global attention to the necessity of ensuring children
are protected in all spheres, including the virtual world.
For more information or to submit information on violence against children
in and via virtual settings and new technologies, please contact ECPAT
International at [email protected].
See http://www.ecpat.net/eng/Ecpat_inter/projects/violence_study.asp for
ECPAT’s concept paper on violence in cyberspace.
Owner: ECPAT - International Secretariat