For the 7th consecutive year, the Council of Europe is supporting the Safer Internet Day Campaign and and is joining forces with numerous stakeholders to work together for a better and safer internet for all, and especially for children and young adults. Safeguarding and promoting the rights of the child in the digital environment and keeping them safe online are at the heart of our work.
The right to access to and safe use of technologies remains one of the key priorities in the upcoming Council of Europe’s Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027). The Council of Europe is strongly committed to fighting sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children online, through the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention), as well as bilateral and regional projects.
The Council of Europe celebrates this year’s Safer Internet Day by continuing to translate and disseminate as widely as possible some of its latest materials and tools for policy makers, professionals, parents, caregivers and children to raise awareness on children’s rights in the digital environment and online safety. The Handbook for the policy makers on the rights of the child in the digital environment launched last year is now available in Ukrainian. This Handbook completes the Council of Europe Guidelines to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child in the digital environment and aims to support policy makers in member states in the formulation of national frameworks and policies, as well as provide interpretative and practical step-by-step guidance to ensure the respect of children’s rights online. This practical tool is particularly timely in the current context when more children spend considerable time online due to the recent lockdowns and restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.