Safer Internet Day Want to Talk About it?
6th February 2023, Kathmandu
Safer Internet Day 2023 is being celebrated on Tuesday, 7 February 2023, around the globe with the theme ‘Want to talk about it?
Making space for conversations about life online.
Safer Internet Day is celebrated in February each year to promote the safer and more positive use of digital technology for children and young people and to inspire a national conversation.
It calls upon young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, and policymakers to join together in helping to create a better internet.
As the Safer Internet Day national secretariat, ChildSafeNet, a specialized organization working to protect children and young people online, has been coordinating and promoting Safer Internet Day in Nepal.
“The day offers the opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology and explore the role we all play in helping to create a better and safer online environment for children and young people.
Children and young people have the same right to be protected online as they have the right to be protected offline.”, says Anil Raghuvanshi, Founder/President of ChildSafeNet.
As children and young people are heavy users of technology, unsafe use of the internet exposes them to serious harm, such as online sexual abuse & exploitation, cyberbullying, cyber grooming, phishing, and sextortion. Parental influence, guidance, and education have the potential to empower children to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively.
Therefore, Raghuvanshi urged the parents, government, schools, private sector, media, NGOs, and all duty-bearers to take timely and adequate actions to protect children online. Therefore, we need to work together for a safer and better internet.
There has been a tremendous increase in online child sexual abuse and exploitation globally. According to the US-based organization, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there were 63,266 CyberTipline reports (suspected reports of online child sexual exploitation imagery) from Nepal in 2019. In 2021, CyberTipline reports from Nepal increased to 263,130, which is a 415% increase. Moreover, according to a ChildSafeNet and UNICEF study, one in two boys or young men and one in three girls or young women are exposed to sexual content online, despite the government-imposed ban on pornographic sites in Nepal.
Although Safer Internet Day 2023 is on 7 February, online safety awareness activities will be conducted throughout the year. ChildSafeNet and its partners will conduct online safety awareness sessions in different parts of the country.
More than 35 organizations, including UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs, CBOS, the private sector, and media houses, have expressed solidarity with the Safer Internet Day in Nepal.
Furthermore, ChildSafeNet and its partner organizations, Child Development Society, World Vision International Nepal, Child Fund Japan, Digital Broadcast Initiative Equal Access, Veda Creation Society, and Love Green Nepal, conduct online safety awareness activities, including online and offline events, radio and TV programs, children and young people’s interactions, essay competitions, screening of videos and quiz contests.
Besides organizations working on children’s issues, including CWIN Nepal, Umbrella Organisation, and Voice of Children, will be conducting online safety awareness programs.