PRESS CONFERENCE ON CHILD SAFETY ON INTERNET

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE ON CHILD SAFETY ON INTERNET

The use of the Internet for sexual abuse of children and paedophilia was a problem of international proportions touching every social class in all regions of the world, Homayra Sellier, president of Innocence in Danger, said this morning at a Headquarters press conference sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Ms. Sellier said that many of the boys and girls trafficked for sex slavery ended up contracting AIDS. Innocence In Danger, a world citizens' movement to protect children from sexual abuse and paedophilia on the Internet, was aware that North America and several European countries played a key role in the production, distribution and consumption of child pornography all over the world. While child abusers had existed before the Internet, they had previously been isolated and lonely. Today the Internet had made it possible for them to communicate easily with each other.

Most countries already had laws against child abuse, she said. What was needed was a kind of concerted law enforcement effort involving non- governmental organizations, associations and foundations interested in protecting children. The goal of Innocence in Danger was to inform public opinion about the need to react urgently in contributing to the harmonization of legislation and child rights, as well as creating a world electronic watchtower for all organizations involved in child protection.

She said that Innocence in Danger had already set up a few national action committees in Europe and was trying to establish one in the United States. The purpose of today's press conference was to introduce the United States National Action Committee to the United Nations and United States media.

Parry Aftab, a cyberspace lawyer and author who heads the United States National Action Committee, said that with the rapid growth of the worldwide web -- from around 100 websites in 1993 to approximately 3.8 million sites today -- there were about 17 million children on-line in the United States alone, out of a population of about 35 million children.

She said every national action committee would be focusing on the needs of its own children, as well as helping on a worldwide basis. It was therefore important to look at issues of equitable access. Were children who could not afford home computers being left behind in the technological revolution? Did that mean that the digital and racial divides would become broader because of the technology? Hopefully not.

On a worldwide basis, crimes in cyberspace could not easily be distinguished in geographical terms, she said. Innocence in Danger would

Child Safety on Internet Press Conference - 2 - 15 June 1999

create a link allowing cyber law enforcement agencies around the world to cooperate and share information. The National Action Committee's work would involve the United States Department of Justice, the New York Attorney- General's Office and other experts in cyberspace crimes, as well as children's websites, child advocacy groups and opinion makers.

She said the Federal Bureau of Investigations had revealed that at least one person every day travelled across state boundaries to lure a child they had met on the Internet. Children had to be educated to know how to use the Internet safely and not to share personal information. The committee was dealing with privacy, data collection and responsible advertising issues.

A correspondent asked whether a law enforcement agent had the right to monitor online.

Ms. Aftab replied that everybody had the right to be in a public chatroom. Often tips were received from parents whose children had been approached by someone suspected to be an adult. On passing the tip on, law enforcement often went undercover as another child.

Responding to another question, she said the FBI was not allowed to intercept e-mails illegally, but they were allowed to sit in a chatroom and pretend they were a child and have somebody send them e-mails.

At what age was one considered a child? another journalist asked. With the Internet being international and people coming online from all parts of the world, what were some of the solutions?

Ms. Aftab said that in the United States, depending on whether one applied state or federal laws, generally a child was under 18 years and sometimes under 17 years. Most of the time when dealing with paedophiles luring children, they tended to be a lot younger because law enforcement wanted to ensure that the case would stick. Ms. Sellier added that in Europe the age could be 14 or 16 years, depending on the country.

A journalist asked what plans there were for expanding, how rapidly that could be done and what support there was from governments.

Ms. Sellier replied that there were committees in Switzerland, France, Belgium, Argentina, Colombia, Panama and Italy. Committees were being started in Germany and Sweden.

When would the organization expand into Asia? another journalist asked.

Ms. Sellier said a committee had been started in Thailand four years ago. The Republic of Korea and Japan had expressed interest in getting involved, Ms. Aftab added.

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