20 September 2006
ThinkuKnow What You Are Doing Online?
UK Children to be shown how to use virtual police presence in new crackdown on child sex abuse
Children and young people across the UK are to be taught how to use a new virtual police service as the battle against child sex abuse gathers pace.
The UK’s dedicated organisation focused on tackling child sex abuse – the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre - today launched a “have fun, stay in control, know how to report” education campaign that will be going into schools, foster homes and other youth environments across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The programme – called ThinkuKnow – will focus on online safety and is the first campaign that has not only been designed by an amalgamation of police, child protection specialists, industry and children themselves but which also introduces a dedicated online reporting mechanism. That means children can report any instances of inappropriate online contact at www.thinkuknow.net.
As a result children of all ages are now just a few clicks away from being able to report instances of inappropriate contact to the CEOP Centre who in turn will investigate, arrest and ultimately bring to account any offenders.
The programme will be delivered in schools by over 1000 police officers, teachers and child protection teams and will offer an interactive package that will explore online experiences, look at issues such as social networking, gaming sites and more traditional chat rooms and offer vital “safety first” advice to children, young people and their parents.
It is intended that around 1 million children will have attended specially prepared safety first sessions by March 2007 backed up by online resources. Subsequent phases will roll out on an ongoing basis.
Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre explains the rationale:
The internet is now integral to the lives of our children. It is omnipresent and in many households now acts as a new member of each family. Yet for many parents what their children are doing online is a mystery. Children themselves however continue to push the boundaries with possibilities that are almost endless. So let’s be realistic. The internet will not go away and we encourage everyone to use it and maximise it for all the legitimate opportunities it creates.
But where children go then the predator will follow and in the same way as we safeguard our playgrounds, our parks, our streets, we must secure in whatever way possible the public place that is the internet.
Empowering children is one critical way of doing that. Saying to them have fun, while making them aware of the dangers and allowing them to walk into a virtual police environment if they feel threatened makes massive sense. It is a simple approach but one that is vital and if used in the right way – as recent investigations have shown – will allow us to protect children in a way that is proactive, dynamic and above all powerful in bringing the offender to account.
So our message is clear. We are encouraging a “can do with caution” rather than a “can’t do because of fear” approach and saying to children and young people of all ages, and their parents, lets work together in cracking down on this horrendous crime.
For the potential offender our message is even simpler. As this programme rolls out you will not know if the person you are grooming is now alert to the dangers and only a few clicks away from reporting you to us. That should make anyone think again.
Vernon Coaker, Government minister with specific responsibility for this area of criminality commented:
The Government is determined to do everything it can to protect children from the predatory paedophiles, including those that use the internet and other communication technologies.
The UK leads the world in tackling the menace posed by paedophiles with new laws and tough jail sentences of up to 10 years for offenders grooming children for sex over the internet. We have further strengthened prison sentences for those caught producing or in possession of child abuse images.
Raising awareness by arming children and their parents with good practical advice is key if we are to win the battle against child sex offenders.
Launched earlier this year, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre continues to spearhead the Government's ongoing work to protect children from sexual abuse while conducting proactive investigations with the police and authorities around the world. We welcome the education programme and are supporting it through an online and radio advertising campaign starting today."
All materials in the education pack – including online resources – have been designed by police and child protection specialists as well as input from the CEOP Centre’s dedicated youth panel. The pack includes hard hitting education films, teachers’ packs and online resources at www.thinkuknow.net.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. The education programme – ThinkuKnow – is being rolled out to schools, foster homes, youth clubs and other environments on a region-by-region basis and will initially be focused on engagement with 1 million children across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. The package will include both online and offline resources and all children are being encouraged to visit www.thinkuknow.net with their parents where they will find safety first advice as well as the online reporting mechanism.
2. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre is a law enforcement agency and works in both online and offline environments. Full information on all areas of work as well as online safety messages and access to online reporting can be found at www.ceop.gov.uk or for children at www.thinkuknow.net.
For further information including interview requests:
Clive Michel
Head of Communications and Public Affairs
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
0870 000 3434