- Digital inclusion
- Cybersecurity
- English
- Adrian Andrea
- Fanny Rotino
- Josianne Galea Baron
- Afrooz Kaviani
Introductory
Description
Children, or everyone under the age of 18, make up an estimated one in three internet users globally. The digital world provides children with unprecedented opportunities, while also exposing them to online risks and harms that require dedicated efforts to understand and address. Governments, parents and caregivers, educators, civil society, and children and young people themselves all around the world have a role to play in shaping a safe and positive digital environment for children. As the providers of digital products and services, the actions of businesses are also a critical component of these efforts. Every business has a responsibility to respect children's rights in the digital environment and can seize opportunities to support child rights and well-being through their activities. This e-learning training course for industry, developed by the ITU and UNICEF, includes four modules spanning foundational child rights and business issues and knowledge on the digital environment. If your company develops or deploys digital technologies, these modules will support you to better understand how child rights intersect with your company's responsibilities, potential risks and harms for children to think about in your daily operations, and ideas of where to go next on your child rights journey. This training course was developed in collaboration with UNICEF.
This training course is primarily targeted at personnel (cross-functional) of businesses that engage in digital activities, including technology companies.
It can also be valuable for business advisers and consultants focused on social impacts or human rights; and child online protection practitioners engaging with industry on child rights impacts.
No previous/existing knowledge on child online protection is needed.
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
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Describe the core frameworks underpinning child rights and responsible business conduct;
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List the types of online risks and harms that children encounter in the digital environment;
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Discuss the issue of online child sexual exploitation and abuse and how it relates to digital business activities;
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Recognize opportunities to positively support children’s rights and well-being through business actions;
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Identify actions that your business can take to better integrate child rights across digital policies and practices.
This course is composed of four self-paced modules, each of which introduces key concepts and definitions with examples and case studies where possible. A quiz appears at the end of every module to test understanding of the content presented.
A total score higher than 70% in each module is required to obtain the ITU badge.
Module 1
Understanding children's rights in the digital environment
Introduction to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its relevance to business.
The foundational principles of child rights and business frameworks related to the digital environment
Global and national frameworks for Child Online Protection, as well as the role of the industry in this context.
Module 2
Respecting children's rights: understanding and addressing online risks and harms
Understanding Children's Technology Use:
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Overview of how children engage with
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Exploration of the benefits, risks, and potential harms in the online world.
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Analysis of risks related to contact, conduct, content, consumer risks, and cross-cutting risks (4Cs).
Child Rights Due Diligence:
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Introduction to the concept of child rights due diligence.
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Application of due diligence to identify material risks for businesses.
Guidance for Digital Companies:
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Overview of available guidance on child online safety.
Module 3
Deep-dive: online child sexual exploitation and abuse
Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA):
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Enhanced comprehension of the issue of online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Combating CSEA:
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Appreciation of specific actions that companies can take to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Technology Measures for Addressing CSEA:
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Description of technology measures that companies may deploy to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Module 4
Supporting children's rights and well-being in the digital age
Children's Digital Inclusion and Skills:
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Overview of the current state of digital inclusion for children.
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Exploration of issues affecting children's digital inclusion and skills.
Child Well-being Through Design and Digital Engagement:
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Introduction to concepts of child well-being through design.
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Overview of digital tools designed for children's civic engagement, and considerations for programs on digital safety.