Wednesday June 20, 2007
One year in the making – CEOP recognises the champions who are making the Internet a safer place for young people.
What do the biggest online industry player in the world, an e-safety officer from Kent and a 16 year old school girl have in common? The answer is this: all three have won awards from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre – recognising their significant achievement in helping to make the Internet a safer place for young people.
In a special awards ceremony last night, the CEOP Centre acknowledged their outstanding contributions.
CEOP Safer By Design Groundbreaker Award 2006
Customised award design by the London College of Art
Award presented by: Vernon Coaker, MP
Recipient: Microsoft UK (accepted by Gordon Frazer, Managing Director of Microsoft UK)
Vernon Coaker and Gordon Frazer, Microsoft
In a groundbreaking move and industry first, Microsoft made reporting potential child sex offenders quicker and easier by putting the CEOP ‘Report Abuse’ tab in the MSN Instant Messenger chat environment.
Since the introduction of the ‘Report Abuse’ tab in MSN Messenger and Live Messenger in August 2006, users have been literally one click away from making a report directly to law enforcement specialised in child protection.
The first week the initiative went live, reports of abuse to the CEOP Centre increased by 113%, many from young people themselves.
Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre
This commitment should be applauded, not only because it helps empower young people to stay safe online but also because it potentially makes MSN Instant Messenger one of the most hostile environments for sexual predators.
This, without doubt, sets a clear example for others to follow. By ensuring the Report Abuse tab is instantly accessible to millions of people, Microsoft UK makes it one of the safest environments for children and young people.
Gordon Frazer, Managing Director, Microsoft UK said:
This is a great example of how, by working together, industry and law enforcement can make a real difference in making the internet a safer place for children. However, there is still much more to be done and Microsoft is committed to supporting government and law enforcement in tackling cyber crime. It's also great to have the Report Abuse tab in MSN & Live Messenger recognised by CEOP.
CEOP Young Ambassador of the Year Award 2006
Customised Award Design by the London College of Art
Award presented by: Sara Payne, advocate for children
Recipient: Tilly King
Sara Payne and Mr King, father of Tilly King
The Young Ambassador of the Year Award went to 16-year old Tilly King for her outstanding contribution to the CEOP’s Youth Advisory Panel – a volunteer panel of young people who help ensure CEOP’s ‘Thinkuknow’ education campaign is contemporary and engaging.
Fellow Youth Panel members voted for Tilly, recognising her considerable efforts in helping CEOP to better protect young people in both the virtual world and the real world.
CEOP Education Team Co-ordinator, Helen Penn, said:
Tilly has been commended for her continued commitment and enthusiasm as part of the Youth Advisory Panel. Not only has she given up her time to help increase awareness of the Thinkuknow campaign among young people, she has also gone a significant way towards shaping our products and services with her innovative and engaging ideas.
CEOP ThinkUKnow Children’s Champion of the Year Award 2006
Customised award design by the London College of Art
Award presented by: Dame Mary Marsh, NSPCC
Recipient: Rebecca Chapman
Dame Mary March NSPCC and Rebecca Chapman
Rebecca Chapman – an e-safety officer from Kent County Council – was acknowledged with CEOP’s award as ‘Children’s Champion of the Year 2006’. This award recognises her regional and national commitment to child protection in both the online and offline environments.
Alex Nagle, Head of Harm Reduction at the CEOP Centre said:
Rebecca has gone far beyond her role with Kent County Council to advance the work of our education programme. She has worked tirelessly to promote Thinkuknow, engaging with young people, the media, local authorities and the police to ensure the issue of online safety remains high on the national agenda.
Notes to editors
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre works in both online and offline environments to protect children from sexual exploitation. 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.
The CEOP Centre is affiliated to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and powers are derived from the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. It is based in Pimlico, London with developing outreach channels to all areas of both domestic and international policing. Specialist faculties are dedicated to operations, intelligence, education and victim identification.
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre is a member of the Virtual Global Taskforce. Further information is available at www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com.
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For further information please contact CEOP Press Office on 0870 000 3434 or Microsoft PR Team on 0118 909 2484.