The second Global Summit on Ending Online Child Sexual Exploitation, held under the theme of 'We Protect,' was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

 

The summit was held under the patronage of General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; and was organised by the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

 

Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, opened the summit with a speech welcoming the guests to the UAE, the host of the summit and their new second home.

 

In his speech, Lt General Sheikh Saif, said: “We gather here today to work together to find solutions for the issue of child abuse; and in the hope that we will stand as a bulwark against those who attempt to jeopardize the innocence of the world’s children and to undermine their promising future.”

 

The summit convened in order to protect the most treasured possession, an unparalleled fortune; and to build a bulwark that protects children from falling prey to immoral predators, he said.

 

The success hinges on joint forces and collectively working together to create a safe and stable international environment– it cannot be done alone. This joint co-operation will make use of all available resources towards further development and prosperity, and will work hand-in-hand with others around the world in order to achieve these goals, said Lt General Sheikh Saif.

 

The summit aims at enabling child protection under one united global entity - one that will endeavour to promote ideas and joint efforts alongside providing access to a unified vision to end the exploitation of children around the world; and to prevent the destruction of their innocent dreams through a relentless pursuit to protect them from all types of danger.

 

At the summit, the attendees viewed an introductory video, focusing on the objectives of the summit and the importance of such significant participation in the Abu Dhabi summit; which included governments, and private and public sectors. They also reviewed some statistics related to the inhumane crime of child abuse, stressing the importance of promoting and cooperation of international efforts to build strong partnerships to protect the children.

 

The video also showed an aspect of the UAE Ministry’s efforts through its specialized departments related to child protection, through the most prominent achievements of the UAE making it a leader in the field.

 

HE Baroness Shields, UK Minister for Internet Safety and Security, gave a speech where she stressed the importance of international co-operation to provide a safe environment for children on the internet. 

 

She pointed to the efforts of the previous summit, in launching the march of international co-operation to protect children and families. 

 

She noted that this generation is immersed in internet use and modern technology more than previous generations, which requires increased attention and care to the security of this space.

 

Fatoumata Ndiaye, Unicef representative, said: “It is ironic that the same tools used for the progress of science and knowledge are the ones that also challenge and threaten our children by weak-minded people.”

 

She stressed the importance of unifying the international efforts to provide the children with a safe environment, where they can grow and learn in the best possible way. She pointed that violence, exploitation, and abuse comes mostly from people who the child knows - including parents and other members of the family, caretakers, teachers, employers, law enforcement, governmental and non-governmental authorities, and other children. A small portion of these acts of violence, exploitation, and abuse are reported and a small number of offenders get prosecuted.

 

Johnny Coon, Director of the National Crime Agency, presented a comprehensive national response module for the sexual exploitation of children on the internet. 

 

It included a strategic analysis and statistics prepared by the organization to promote the existing efforts of crime prevention. He pointed to a number of successful operations, which were conducted through international cooperation and that led to the capture and arrest of extortion gangs on the internet. - TradeArabia News Service