WHO is preparing a plan to ensure children’s safety online
World Health Organization (WHO) released a new report on Friday outlining ways to address growing global concerns about keeping children safe online.
The report, titled “What works to prevent online violence against children,” presents strategies and best practices to better protect children.
The report focuses on two forms of online violence: child sexual abuse, including grooming and sexual imagery; and cyber-aggression and harassment in the form of cyberbullying, cyberbullying, hacking and identity theft.
“Our children spend more and more time online, so it is our duty to make the online environment safe,” states. Etienne Krug, Director of WHO’s Department of Social Determinants of Health. “This new document provides, for the first time, a clear direction for action by governments, donors and other development partners, demonstrating that we must address online and offline violence together if we are to be effective.”
In order to prevent online violence against children, the report emphasizes the importance of implementing educational programs for children and parents. Studies have shown the effectiveness of such programs in reducing victimization, violence and related risk behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse.
“The report recommends implementing school-based training programs with multiple sessions, promoting youth interaction and engaging parents. It also highlights the importance of training young people in specific life skills such as self-confidence, empathy, problem-solving, emotional management and help-seeking, among others,” WHO said.
In addition, educational programs are more successful when they use multiple and varied delivery formats, such as videos, games, posters, infographics, and guided discussions.
The report shows that comprehensive sex education practices can reduce physical and sexual aggression, especially dating and intimate partner violence and homophobic bullying. The effectiveness of sex education has been confirmed in countries of all income levels.
The report highlights the need for improvements in several areas, including the need to increase violence prevention programs that integrate content about online dangers with offline violence prevention, given the overlap between these issues and shared approaches to prevention.
The report also notes that less emphasis on stranger danger, as strangers are not the only or even the main perpetrators of online abuse against children.
It calls for greater emphasis on acquaintances and peers who are responsible for the majority of crimes. and more attention to healthy relationship skills, as romance and the pursuit of intimacy are major sources of vulnerability to cyberbullying.
According to a WHO report, the Internet offers many opportunities for children and young people, including promoting learning, developing personal and professional skills, expressing creativity and contributing to society.
The UN agency said governments need to strike the right balance between empowering young people through the digital environment and protecting them.
HT
Source: ANI