(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Sanaullah Ataullah
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The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: The Third National Forum for Human Rights, which opened in Lusail yesterday, stressed the need to develop a digital system that is more capable of protecting the rights and best interests of children, in a way that keeps pace with the rapid and changing growth in the digital world.
With over 600 participants including officials, experts, specialists, and students, the two-day forum is being held under the theme 'Protecting Children's Rights In A Secure Digital Environment-Challenges And Prospects For Empowerment and Protection'.
The event is organised by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) in partnership with the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Ministry of Social Development and Family, and the National Cyber Security and in cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Transport H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister of Social Development and Family H E Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi, Minister of Municipality H E Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah, Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council H E Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti and President of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) and Chairperson of Qatar National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah.
Addressing the opening ceremony, H E Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad said that children are at a crossroads that requires wisdom in guidance, either by harnessing technological progress to serve humanity and advance societies or by being drawn into dangerous technical complexities that threaten ethics and disrupt the balance of societies and their development approach.
“The challenges imposed by the recent digital boom and the world of artificial intelligence force us to reconsider how we use these technological tools, and to constantly pay attention to the content provided to children while they are using these technologies,” said the Minister. She added:“We need to develop a new and innovative mechanism urgently to protect children and adolescents from the dangers of artificial intelligence infiltrating our children's digital environment.”
The Minister noted that the latest digital estimates indicate that children around the world use artificial intelligence almost daily, and are increasingly exposed to modern technology, which affects their mental, psychological and moral formation. She said the studies suggest that 40% of students can be classified as victims of cyberbullying, and it has also been noted that permissive student upbringing contributes to children falling victim to this type of cyberbullying and violence.
Minister of Social Development and Family H E Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad (left), and Chairperson of NHRC H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah at the opening ceremony of the forum yesterday.
She noted that extensive studies show that content created digitally by artificial intelligence reinforces stereotypes and encourages popular lies that threaten the future of children and the future of identity and moral society, as it controls the way children think and reinforces some global beliefs that do not suit our societies and our moral and Islamic references.
“Our responsibility today is to unite efforts between State institutions and their governmental and private sectors, to activate awareness and launch effective and innovative initiatives to develop solutions and mechanisms that enable us to move towards positive paths, in which we enjoy the digitization of life without being exploited by it,” said the Minister.
From this standpoint, she said, Qatar has taken early major steps to protect children's rights by working at the national and international levels to adopt legislation and policies aimed at enhancing such protection.
She explained that at the national level, the State's constitution stipulates that the government shall care for the young and protect them from causes of corruption and exploitation; safeguard them from the evil of physical, mental and spiritual neglect, and provide them with the appropriate conditions to develop their talents in various fields, guided by sound education.
To implement these constitutional principles on the ground, the Minister said, the State issued the Anti-Cybercrime Law, a comprehensive law dedicated to protecting society and children from all forms of exploitation. In line with international standards for the protection of children's rights, she said, Qatar ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the two additional optional protocols attached to the Convention. The Minister stressed that the time has come to build a solid bridge between technological development and ethics, which preserves the safety of children and contributes to the progress of societies, as the family is the first line of defense for protecting children, and is a source of safety, wise guidance and protection from inappropriate content or violence and digital bullying.
H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah said that the third National Human Rights Forum for this year, is dedicated to discussing the protection of children's rights in the digital environment, especially since this topic is one of the most important emerging human rights concerns globally.
“We in Qatar are part of this world, affected by the changes taking place in it, and we realize the importance of developing ways to protect our children, based on the fact that digital technology has changed aspects of life. Yes, digital technology has enhanced their access to their rights, but at the same time it has created new risks, and some of these risks have negative effects throughout their lives,” said Al Attiyah.
She added:“We need to develop a digital system that is more capable of protecting the rights and best interests of our children, in a way that keeps pace with the rapid growth and change in the digital world.”
She said that the private sector also must be engaged to promote safe digital spaces for children and address negative impacts on them in accordance with human rights and business principles.
And, of course, Al Attiyah said,“We must also work with parents, teachers and others to educate our children on responsible behaviour in the digital environment, including developing their skills in dealing with digital content.” She stressed that it might be useful to highlight how to ensure children's informed consent in the context of age-appropriate digital design, and how to achieve the appropriate balance between protecting children's rights and privacy and respecting their ability to be independent and participate.
“Whether the regulatory frameworks in many countries, as well as the practices implemented by companies in these experiments, have been able to provide a safe and child-friendly digital environment are questions for the forum to answer,” said Al Attiyah.
She noted that the State remains primarily responsible for protecting children's digital rights, calling on the relevant authorities to take the digital scene into account in the draft child protection law that is due to be issued soon, including providing ways to seek redress in the event of a violation of digital rights.
Al Attiyah also called for a child-focused approach in other digital legislation, expressing her appreciation for Qatar's efforts in preparing a draft convention to combat cybercrime, as the first international step in the field of preventing Internet crimes, especially those against children, calling for its ratification immediately after its approval by the United Nations General Assembly.
She said:“It is our duty to take the initiative to develop a guiding code to respect and protect children's rights in the digital environment, and this code could inspire Gulf and Arab efforts to develop similar codes.”
“This is what we also pledge to discuss at the level of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, and I believe that the time has also come to initiate the preparation of a national guide on respect for human rights in the context of using the Internet, and to make children's rights one of its main pillars,” said Al Attiyah.
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