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Children and youth have the right to be protected against violence as laid down in the UN Child Rights Convention. This right also applies to the digital space. Each image of child sexual abuse that is online shows a child that was sexually abused in the real world. The confrontation with content that is not age-appropriate, as well as grooming for the purpose of sexual exploitation are further risks. The internet as a global medium provides access to children worldwide. Thus, regulations for protection must be developed and implemented on an international level.
We call on the German Government to:
1. Prioritise the right to protection. The right to protection for children and youth in the digital space must be prioritised and implemented.
2. Hold companies accountable. Mandatory obligations for companies to take responsibility are necessary to combat risks in the digital space.
3. Strengthen international cooperation. Clear responsibilities and efficient global cooperation structures for law enforcement are needed to protect children from violence.
4. Make effective law enforcement possible. A clear legal framework, investments for law enforcement, knowledge building and obligatory advanced training for the police and judiciary are needed to resolve crimes against children.
🥳 Thank you for almost 10,000 signatures!
A broad alliance of child protection organizations has succeeded in placing the issue of child protection on the internet in the public eye as an urgent task for German politics.
The encouragement we are experiencing has been reflected, among other things, in almost 10,000 signatures in support of our demands. We can tell these people: Their dismayed, committed voices are being heard by those responsible at the German Federal Ministry of the Interior. Just like the voices of those affected: Joy, a survivor from the Philippines, whom IJM Germany had invited, gave recommendations in a powerful statement to the Parliamentary State Secretary Johann Saathoff on what must be done to stop this crime on the demand side in Germany and Europe in the long term.
Johann Saathoff, himself a father of five children, was personally moved and determined: "Child protection on the internet is an important concern for the BMI. We listen to those affected and take them seriously as their own advocates. Their perspective helps us, together with child protection organizations like this alliance, to set the course for decisive action to make the web a safe place for children."
We also encounter determination from the Bundestag to prioritize child protection more strongly. On this path, we need undiminished support from civil society.