EU - Commission sounds alarm on 116 child hotline delays

(RAPID)
Parents and children need to be able to call help quickly and free of charge while travelling in the EU. In the UK and Belgium alone more than 7,500 children were reported missing in 2007. Public concern about child safety has been heightened by cases like the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal. In 2007, the Commission took action by reserving, at national level, six-digit numbers starting with 116 for missing children hotlines (116000) and for helplines (116111) with which children can seek assistance. However, a recent EU survey shows that only a minority of Member States have assigned these numbers to service providers: seven for 116000 and ten for 116111. The Commission has called on Member States to speed up implementation of these numbers. Under EU law Member States do not have to assign the numbers, but are required to reserve them and inform the public and providers of their availability. The survey shows few efforts by Member States to make known the numbers' availability, delaying their implementation.

Labels: Hotlines

JP - Only 20% of known child porn sites heed watchdog's call to shut down

(Kyodo News)
Only 20 percent of some 1,600 known child pornography sites were taken off the Internet in 2007 despite pressure from a Tokyo-based watchdog that monitors the harmful sites. As the Internet Hotline Center Japan is not authorized to enforce deletions or issue requests for such action to foreign servers, cross-border exchanges of pornographic images continue. The center detected 1,609 child porn sites last year, based mainly on tipoffs, and urged the taking down of 526 whose servers are located in Japan. However, only 339 accepted the request.

Labels: Child_abuse_images, Hotlines

ZA - New website to expose child pornography

(BuaNews)
Members of the public can now anonymously report any images of sexual abuse discovered on the internet through a newly launched website in South Africa. The website, www.fpbprochild.org.za, which is available 24 hours, seven days a week was launched in Johannesburg by Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba. Mr Gigaba said the website service will afford members of the public an opportunity to report any incidences of child pornography online and remain anonymous. "Our internet content analysts will assess the contents of any reported website and will forward a detailed report to the law enforcement agencies in South Africa for further action. The Film and Publication Board fully supports the initiative Other stakeholders in the fight against child pornography included the South African Police Service, SABC and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa.

Labels: Child_abuse_images, Hotlines

EU - INHOPE appoints new Secretary General

(Press Release)
The INHOPE network is delighted to announce the appointment of Birgit Roth as the new Secretary General. Birgit Roth was Public Policy manager, Government Relations & Regulatory Affairs for Deutsche Telekom AG. Ms Roth was previously a Member of the German Parliament for the Speyer-Neustadt constituency. The INHOPE Association of Internet Hotlines was founded in 1999. The general public can report illegal internet content such as child pornography to hotlines. The hotline confidentially then reviews each report, referring illegal material onto the relevant law enforcement agencies or Internet Service Providers for further action. Today, there are thirty members of INHOPE worldwide, including members from Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. INHOPE is part funded by the EC Safer Internet Programme.

Labels: Child_abuse_images, Hotlines, Who's who

UK - IWF Annual Report highlights persistent core of child sexual abuse websites

(IWF)
The Internet Watch Foundation Annual Report 2007 reveals new intelligence regarding the scale of publicly available child sexual abuse websites known to the IWF. Whilst it is very rare to trace these websites to the UK, the IWF has identified a core of 2755 websites hosted abroad during 2007; this total number has remained relatively static for three years and represents a concrete target which can be tackled through international partnerships. This target is characterised by websites, 80% of which are commercial operations, which frequently hop host company and region to avoid detection. These tactics, coupled with the complex multi-national nature of the crimes, mean that only a united global response involving law enforcement authorities, governments and the international online sector will enable effective investigation of these websites, their content and the organisations behind them.

Labels: Child_abuse_images, Hotlines

DE - Vereinbarung zur Zusammenarbeit bei der Bekämpfung kinderpornografischer Inhalte im Internet

(eco)
Inhalte im Internet in Deutschland einzudämmen, haben die Betreiber der Internetbeschwerdestellen FSM, eco und jugendschutz.net mit dem Bundeskriminalamt und der Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien eine Kooperationsvereinbarung getroffen.

Labels: Child_abuse_images, Hotlines

UK - IWF Chief Executive awarded OBE

(IWF)
Peter Robbins QPM, Internet Watch Foundation Chief Executive, has been awarded an OBE for services to children and families in the Queen's New Years Honours list.

Labels: Hotlines, Who's who

UK - Web giants aid child porn hotline

(BBC)
Top internet companies have joined forces to publicise a hotline to report online child pornography. Internet giants AOL, Tiscali, Yahoo! and MSN are supporting the work of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). Through the hotline, the IWF offers a "notice and take-down" service to police and internet service providers.

Labels: Hotlines

MT - Children, the internet and safety

(Times of Malta)
The Ministry for Investment, Industry and Information Technology and Agenzija Appogg have collaborated in the setting-up of the Hotline for child abuse over the internet. This project also includes the collaboration of other stakeholders such as the Cyber Crime Unit of the Malta Police Force, the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity, the Ministry for Education, Youth and Employment, the Commissioner for Children and the local internet Service Providers. EU funds facilitated the setting-up of the Appogg hotline service, which forms part of an international network of hotlines as represented by INHOPE (Association of Internet Hotline Providers).

Labels: Hotlines