Criminalise Violence Against Children In Digital World: Forum

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Sanaullah Ataullah | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: The Third National Forum for Human Rights has recommended tightening laws to safeguard children's rights in the digital world. The two-day event organised by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) in Lusail concluded on a high note yesterday.

The forum in a communiqué suggested upgrading the legislative structure to keep pace with digital development, in a manner that includes criminalising all forms of violence and crimes committed against children in the digital world, including prohibiting inappropriate content that is harmful to the lives and healthy growth of children.

NHRC Secretary General Sultan Hassan Al Jamali read the communiqué at the conclusion ceremony. The forum called for tightening penalties for circulating websites with immoral content and those that encourage children to commit suicide and self-harm and working to strengthen prevention mechanisms, including designing digital materials and platforms that enhance national and religious identity.

It asked for adopting policies and measures to enable children to have safe access to the digital environment, continuously developing preventive tools to keep pace with the evolving risks and challenges in the digital space, and encouraging innovations in the world of technology.

This is in addition to ensuring high standards of safety, including obligating platforms on the Internet to conduct periodic risk assessments to explore and address the harmful effects of their services on children's rights and ensuring that commercial companies respect children's privacy and protect their interests.

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 said that the forum and its recommendations would help establish a safe digital world for children.

She said that working to secure the digital world for future generations has become an urgent necessity, and all state institutions, along with fathers and mothers, must work together to achieve it, calling for the importance of comprehensive awareness of the factors for building a safe digital world.

Al Attiyah stressed that the forum's recommendations were developed based on the opinions of experts in various cyber, legal and security sectors, which increases the importance of working on them. She called all parties to work more towards a digital world that protects the rights of children, who are the cornerstone of development.

The communiqué stressed the necessity for legislative and administrative measures to ensure the protection of children's rights to digital learning, and to enhance their ability to control the information they share via the Internet, and their right to express their opinions and safe digital participation, including interaction via social media.

This is, in addition, to protect them from exploitation and assault to secure their personal data, and to provide the opportunity to hear children's voices in all measures taken regarding them.

The forum proposed to enable children and their families to access effective redress mechanisms, by simplifying child-friendly complaint procedures and enhancing the capacities of law enforcement, public prosecution and judiciary personnel to address violations related to the digital environment through various means, including international cooperation.

It also suggested establishing a department for artificial intelligence and digital rights at the National Human Rights Committee, developing monitoring tools, and working to include children's rights in the digital environment in its guidelines and annual reports.

This is in addition to contributing to the establishment of an international platform to develop discussions on best measures and practices to prevent violence and exploitation of children in the digital world. Educating and raising awareness among parents is very important. Parents must be aware of the risks of using technology.

The private sector must also play a role in the issue of digital programmes and platforms that are created and developed, or in setting policies for their proper use. The private sector must play a role in developing electronic games in a purposeful and educational manner that meets all the standards to protect children from any type of violence, bullying, or violation of religious or social principles.

The forum suggested developing unified regional standards for the production of digital content directed at children, taking into account cultural and religious diversity, and ensuring the provision of appropriate and safe content for all children. In this regard, cooperation should be enhanced between government institutions, civil society organisations, telecommunications and technology companies, and digital platforms. It asked for implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child ratified by Qatar, enhancing bilateral, regional and international cooperation in all matters related to children's participation in the digital world, and supporting international efforts and initiatives aimed at protecting children's rights in the digital space.

The communiqué also noted for enhancing access for persons with disabilities to a safe digital environment and raising the quality of digital access services and assistive technology to support children with disabilities. The forum also suggested integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into school curricula, supporting safe, ethical design, responsible use, and resource allocation for AI-based children's programmes, and developing AI capabilities of teachers, administrators, and parents.

NHRC Secretary General Sultan Hassan Al Jamali said that the forum highlighted the legislative and technical progress made by the State to enable children to have safe access to the digital space, in line with national values mentioned in the Permanent Constitution of the State, and Qatar National Vision 2030.

He said that the participants appreciated the efforts of all parties concerned with children's digital rights and made the recommendations accordingly.

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