The intention of the global Safer Internet for Children program is to protect children from falling for deceitful “bad” contacts and thus preventing them from being abused. For this purpose, the initiative covers all relevant measures starting from prevention, prosecution and victim protection. The comprehensive strategy for the protection of children bundles the legal, technical and political possibilities for solutions. To achieve this, various competencies from politics, administration, IT industry, interest groups, and science are combined. By means of its world-encompassing network of diplomacy, the Safer Internet for Children program spreads these protective measures in as many countries as possible in order to save the children all over the world from abuse.
In connection with the Safer Internet for Children, the Diplomatic Council closely collaborates with the WhiteIT children protection initiative and the related partners. This initiative is supported by Association of Criminologists, Association of Digital Industry, Children Aid, Children Protection Association, CeBIT, Industry Fair, eco Internet Association, Fujitsu, Hasso Plattner Institute, IBM, Intel, Leipnitz University, Microsoft, Oracle, Siemens, Symantec, White Ring and many more. All listed partners are making every effort to fight against children abuse – also in the digital world where children are particularly at threat.
On the occasion of a Diplomatic Council side event at UN Geneva Peace Week, the initiative alerted to the danger of the globally increasing sexual abuse against children. The primary objective is to protect the children, so a strategy has been developed in order to combat sexual violence against children which consists of legal, preventive and technical actions as well as victim support and therapy for offenders.
It is not an easy task. Studies have revealed the following frightening challenges:
- 1-4% of the male population shows paedophiliac tendencies
- 50% of the consumption of material showing child abuse is beyond social control
- Every second child has a sexual incident while growing-up
- Conclusion: 2,5 million paedophile are active in European companies!
These figures show that child abuse should not only concern politics or society, but also companies bear responsibility and cannot ignore these threats. Almost 50% of all child pornographic material is consumed beyond any social control.
One of the most effective countermeasure is to strengthen children, teaching them to assess dangerous situations and to say “No.” To this end, White IT has created educational booklets branded with the „Diplomatic Council High Education Value“ seal of which more than 4 million copies have been distributed to kindergartens, schools, child aid associations, the Red Cross, etc. A virtual reality App is available for children and teenagers. Further opportunities to raise awareness are at UN conferences in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, at police congresses, EU briefings, medical conferences, children’s sports events.
Schools all over the world can request free of charge educational booklets that are suitable for children and can distribute these to their pupils. The booklets are available in the common languages already. Booklets in other languages are printed and delivered on request of a school. Printing and Delivery of this booklet is free of charge. The booklets are available for two age categories, for children from 3-6 years and for children of primary school age.
