The Higher Committee for Child Protection at the Ministry of Interior has emphasized that it will continue making all efforts to boost child protection in accordance with the international standards and the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) approach, as well as to adopt the initiatives that provide the best means of protection for our children from the risks of the internet and all other dangers and challenges.
The Higher Committee for Child Protection has participated in preparing the VGT statement. Countries wishing to enhance their online child protection laws will now have the opportunity, following the acceptance of a legislative global engagement strategy presented at the INTERPOL General Assembly.
The 80th General Assembly was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, and was attended by more than 600 delegates from 142 member countries.
The Virtual Global Taskforce-supported resolution to provide a “best practice” model for countries that currently do not have sufficient online child protection legislation was overwhelmingly endorsed by the senior law enforcement officials at the four-day conference.
Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) Chair and Australian Federal Police (AFP) Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan said the VGT recognizes that while many countries may have legislation in place, they may lack the capability to enforce this, or the training and expertise to dedicate resources to this area of criminality.
“Part of the answer to fighting online child sexual abuse lies in greater collaboration with international law enforcement partners. This cooperation is most effective when the countries have common cyber crime laws,” Assistant Commissioner Gaughan said.
To address this issue, a key outcome from the 2010 VGT Conference was a shared commitment to assist and guide countries around the world that require stronger online child protection law”.
Following through with this commitment, the VGT declared its intention to cooperate with the Council of Europe to create a greater awareness of existing standards resulting in the development of a draft resolution.
“I am pleased to say that having the INTERPOL General Assembly accept this resolution, the VGT has commenced bridging the gap, providing prevention, deterrent and law enforcement measure to improve child protection laws globally,” Assistant Commissioner Gaughan said.
The Higher Committee for Child Protection has recently organized a workshop on legislations and child protection which was organized by the Child Protection Center at the Ministry of Interior in collaboration with the John Hopkins University protection project and the International Center of Missing and Exploited Children. It is the firs legislative workshop of its kind in the Middle East.
Major General Nasser Lekhrebani Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Office of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Child Protection and head of the Higher Preparatory Committee to Prepare for the National Project for Students Awareness said: “organizing this workshop materializes the Ministry of Interior’s keenness to keep its efforts integrated and consistent with the international efforts, whether within the VGT or through our membership in the Interpol, so that we are able to make more achievements, and our government becomes one of the best governments in the world.
He added that the Ministry of Interior, represented by the Higher Committee for Child Protection assures its full commitment to achieve the goals of the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) to make the internet a safer place for children at risk and to hold perpetrators appropriately to account, within the strateg