DICT holds ITU-ASEAN Workshop on Child Online Protection

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=1&rid=923413
• Thursday, September 15, 2016

By Aerol John B. Patena [(PNA), SCS/ABP/EDS]

MANILA, Sept. 15 (PNA) -- The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has organized a workshop on child online protection in coordination with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to strengthen its initiative to ensure a safer cyber-environment for the youth.

DICT Secretary Rodolfo Salalima said that the workshop, held in Quezon City from Sept. 13 to 14, is a manifestation of their commitment to the ITU-ASEAN Initiative on Developing a Strategy Framework for Child Online Protection.

“Our light shines the brightest when we dedicate and devote our lives and our time for our people and their children,” the secretary said in his keynote address as he urged participants to create better child protection policies.

For her part, Aurora Rubio, head of ITU Area for Southeast Asia, expressed her hopes that the workshop would be able to contribute and support ASEAN member countries to develop and implement effective national and ASEAN child online protection general framework and plans.

The workshop gathered ASEAN member states and invited representatives from organizations such as Stairway Foundation Inc., the Philippine National Police– Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), ECPAT Philippines, ICT Watch Indonesia, The Asia Foundation Philippines, Privacy Commission Philippines, and Child Protection Network Foundation Inc.

During the workshop, different Child Online Protection Initiatives in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam were shared, along with expert counsel from the invited organizations.

Participants were able to conduct consultations with the youth, their parents and teachers from participating schools in the area through the support of the Department of Education and Stairway Foundation Inc.

Atty. Maria Roda Cisnero moderated the module on the presentation of the recommendations for the Draft ASEAN Framework on Child Online Protection from the breakout groups, which included the youth. The workshop concluded with Rubio’s moderation of the multi-stakeholders’ panel discussions which gave further insight in moving Child Online Protection discussions toward better policies.