The statutory body in Gibraltar responsible for safeguarding children and young people is the Child Protection Committee, (“CPC”).

On Tuesday 5th February, the CPC will be supporting the Safer Internet Day. The aim of Safer Internet Day is to inspire a conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively. Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre, the celebration sees hundreds of organisations becoming involved to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

Safer Internet Day offers the opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology and to explore the role we all play in helping to create a better and safer online community. It calls upon young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, policymakers, and the community, to join in helping to create a better internet.

Each year, for Safer Internet Day, the UK Safer Internet Centre creates a range of resources to help educational settings and the wider community to celebrate the day. This includes:

• Lesson plans, assemblies and films tailor-made for all ages.

• Resources to support social media involvement on Safer Internet Day.

• Registration as a Safer Internet Day Supporter.

• National research looking at young people’s use of technology.

The Child Protection Committee and the UK Safer Internet Centre invites everyone to join Safer Internet Day supporters across the globe to help create a better internet on Tuesday 5th February 2019 and throughout the whole year.

The Chair of the Child Protection Committee, Natalie Tavares, commented: “The Committee has already been active on matters concerning online safety. The Royal Gibraltar Police led on the ‘Don’t click...Think’ awareness campaign in June of 2017, and highlighted the dangers of sexting and keeping safe online. Safer Internet Day is an excellent initiative to ensure children, young people, their carers and professionals continue to be aware of how to use the internet and social media safely, and keep abreast of what’s happening in this rapidly evolving area.”

Minister for Health, Care and Justice, the Hon Neil F. Costa MP said: “The internet is an extremely useful tool, which our children and young persons can employ to support their educational needs and also enjoy for recreational use. The internet and social media must be used safely and responsibly, however. To safeguard our children and young persons against the real dangers that can arise in the context of internet use and social media is very important. The work that the Child Protection Committee are carrying out, in this instance, in promoting the Safer Internet Day, helps children and young people better understand how they can protect themselves online. As a parent myself, I fully support this initiative.”

The UK Safer Internet Centre is a partnership of three leading charities – Childnet International, the Internet Watch Foundation and South West Grid for Learning, (SWGfL) - with a shared mission to make the internet a better place for children and young people.

The partnership was appointed by the European Commission as the Safer Internet Centre for the UK in January 2011 and is one of the 31 Safer Internet Centres of the Insafe network.

The UK Safer Internet Centre delivers a wide range of activity to promote the safe and responsible use of technology by children and young people:

• coordinates Safer Internet Day in the UK, reaching millions every year. In 2018 Safer Internet Day reached 45 of young people and 30% of parents in the UK;

• founded and operates an online safety helpline for professionals working with children in the UK, including teachers, police officers, GPs and more;

• operates the UK’s hotline for reporting online child sexual abuse imagery;

• develops new advice and educational resources for children, parents and carers and teachers to meet emerging trends in the fast-changing online environment;

• delivers education sessions for children, parents, carers, teachers and the wider children’s workforce, including free events across the UK;

• trains children and young people to be peer educators and champions for the safe and positive use of technology;

• shapes policy at school, industry and government level, both in the UK and internationally, and facilitates youth panels to give young people a voice on these issues.



For more information visit www.saferinternet.org.uk and the websites of the partners: Childnet, the Internet Watch Foundation and SWGfL.