The Duke of Sussex has joined young leaders from around the world to launch the Global Toolkit for Online Child Safety, based on work done by Professor Julia Davidson OBE of the University of East London and the 5Rights Foundation.
The original study – on Rwanda’s policy tools – was developed by Professor Davidson of the UEL Rwanda Institute for Connected Communities (ICC) in 2019 with the 5Rights Foundation, a non-governmental organization dedicated to putting children’s rights at the heart of digital design. .
The toolkit was launched last week to give global politicians a roadmap for building a safe and supportive online world for children.
Professor Davidson said: “The great news is that our research is being used to influence online child protection policies around the world and guide practitioners to help make the digital world safer for children worldwide. The 10 key policy areas can be applied to any country to make the online world free from harm to children.
“We are excited that Prince Harry has approved the kit, as well as the UN.”
At the start, the Duke praised the “initial work” in creating the toolkit and called for a safer digital world for young people.
He said he hoped his children “would never experience the online world as it is now” and criticized social media companies for making “unimaginable money” by commercializing consumer attention.
Prince Harry said the world needed new digital laws to protect children, such as those being introduced in California, the EU and the United Kingdom. Professor Davidson has played a key role in research into the UK’s online safety bill, which requires companies such as Facebook to protect children and adults from harmful online content.
The prince said: “We need new laws. We need public pressure. We need strong leadership.”
Nick Martleu, CEO of 5Rights Foundation, said: “The fantastic young leaders who helped launch the Online Child Safety Toolkit all agreed: they want to enjoy the huge benefits of the digital world without having to take over. risks that society will never tolerate offline. The toolkit is a comprehensive guide for governments to make this a reality and to meet their commitment to keeping children safe online. ”
The online presentation was also attended by representatives of the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union, as well as young people between the ages of 13 and 21 from countries including South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada and Malaysia.
Professor Davidson has led research on major social issues and has driven, influenced and improved national and international policies, industry and online harm practices.
This study led to the development of an online child protection policy and a five-year implementation plan in Rwanda following in-depth research and analysis in collaboration with Baroness Beaban Kidron of the 5Rights Foundation. Professor Davidson helped with the training after the implementation of the plan.
The online child protection policy and plan was adopted in 2019 by the Rwandan government in key areas, including health, criminal justice, education, industry, civil society and the community. A national awareness-raising campaign was launched through community networks and schools in 2019.
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