CoE seeks to reinforce children’s safety on the Internet

The traceability of children’s activities on the Internet may expose them to criminal activities for example the solicitation or “grooming” of children for sexual purposes, discrimination, bullying, stalking and other forms of harassment, says the Declaration on protecting the dignity, security and privacy of children on the internet, recently adopted by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. According to the declaration, sent to Info-Prim Neo for further dissemination, the right to privacy and the secrecy of correspondence is not respected on the Internet. The profiling of information and the retention of personal data regarding children’s activities can be used for commercial purposes, and children need to be informed about the enduring presence of, and the risks associated with the content they create on the internet. CoE’s Committee of Ministers asks member states to work together to explore the feasibility of removing or deleting such content and its traces within a reasonably short period of time. “We are determined to ensure that our children can use the internet safely, and that the internet cannot be used against them,” said Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe has recently launched an on-line game for children to help them learn the rules of Internet safety in a fun format. The game has been developed in the spirit of the Council’s “Building a Europe for and with children” programme, set up to promote children’s rights and protect them from all forms of violence - including online dangers. It is also a fundamental step in the Council of Europe’s efforts to curb the grooming of children by abusers through the internet, following the principles of the recently-launched Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.