Cyber crime prevention by CPP-IICRD and Plan Thailand

“As children and young adults spend more time in the cyberspace for education and entertainment, it is the duty of responsible adults to protect our future generations from online sexual predators. It is time for civic groups, law enforcement and development agencies to get our act together in a fight against these shameless offenders.” - Plan Thailand Country Director Maja Cubarrubia.

In response to the fight against cyber-crime, the Child Protection Partnership Program (CPP) under the International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD) with Plan Thailand has launched various activities in Thailand to support schools and communities to better protect children sexual exploitation enabled through ICT enabled child sexual exploitation by working in partnership with 36 multi-sector partners including law enforcement, NGOs, universities, communities, children and government agencies.

The project focuses on the risk areas in both Chiang Rai and Chonburi Province where the use of ICT for child exploitation and human trafficking is prevalent. While the Internet opens a world of possibilities for children - expanding their horizons and exposing them to different cultures and ways of life, they can also be exposed to dangers rampant on the information highway.

There are individuals who attempt to sexually exploit children through the use of online services and the Internet. While online chatting and social networks are increasing and expanding all over the world, young people using them without caution can expose themselves to the dangers of cyber crime. Cyber stalking for instance, refers to harassment or unwanted communications via these kinds of communication services.

The CPP Program collaborated with teachers and students on ICT prevention and how to creatively use ICT and the media. More than 300 children and teachers took part in this training from the two areas in one year. The ICT curriculum taught to students, teachers and communities focused on increasing their understanding of the dangers of cyberspace based on several case studies on ICTbased child exploitations. The activity aimed to encourage young people in particular to be aware of the various forms of ICT harm and know how to prevent and protect themselves. The case studies created a space for group analysis and recommendations of how to stay safe.

Participants also had the chance to learn about how to design ICT and Child Protection awareness raising activities in classrooms using the samples introduced in the workshop. The participants enjoyed sharing how ICT was being used in their schools to promote activities such as using ICT for preparing school brochures, creating school blogs and exhibition displays.

“I was glad to join this activity; I used to always chat with my friends and sometimes with strangers without thinking about the dangers and threats of ICT. After the training, I better understood how to protect myself from these kinds of people and became more aware about the other side of the cyber world,” said a young 15 girl from Banglamung Wittayakom School, Chonburi Province.

“Plan Thailand, whose top priority is always on child development, is proud to coordinate with other like-minded agencies to implement this workshop.” said Maja.

Source: Plan International Thailand