Online Child Safety spurs a UNICEF pilot

SWEDEN:  UNICEF and Millicom have formally agreed to a three-year alliance to improve respect for children’s rights in the telecommunication sector.

The partnership will strive for positive change within the industry through pilot implementation of the Children’s Rights and Business Principles and the UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Guidelines for Industry on Child Online Protection.

Millicom and UNICEF plan to create standards for good practice in the telecommunication sector that protect children online and respect their right to privacy, freedom of thought, opinion, culture and safety. Children and young people face an increasing number of risks online, from targeted marketing using their personal information to bullying and harassment, identity theft and online abuse.

The alliance seeks to map the risks to and opportunities for children’s rights in the telecommunication sector and in specific operational settings; develop and promote industry-specific guidance on how the telecommunication sector can improve respect for children’s rights, specifically through implementing the Children’s Rights and Business Principles and also develop case studies on lessons learned in implementing the Children’s Rights and Business Principles and the UNICEF and ITU Guidelines for Industry on Child Online Protection.

UNICEF and Millicom have been in discussions since 2012, when Millicom provided feedback on UNICEF’s Children’s Rights and Business Principles tools for implementation. Millicom then piloted UNICEF’s Children’s Rights Checklist at its operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Subsequently, Millicom and UNICEF began formalizing their collaboration to outline future work and to ensure that their common objectives were met.

"UNICEF is committed to working with business to identify the shared value that can be created when improving child rights within each industry,” said Gérard Bocquenet, UNICEF Director of Private Fundraising and Partnerships. “We are proud to join Millicom in identifying how children can be better protected online in this growing virtual world. It is truly an important issue that is increasingly relevant to children everywhere."