Safety of children online is a hot topic. Much needed policies, guidelines and regulations are developed, in many cases without considering the ideas of those concerned. Children have the first-hand experience to form their opinions and insights on e-safety. Together with ECPAT International and Eurochild, we have consulted children and their parents in 15 countries across the EU, Asia and Latin America. In our VOICE research we aim to bring the views of children and parents globally into the policy debate around safety standards and policies in digital environments.
Worldwide, children are at high risk of online harm such as online sexual exploitation of children. Strong rules and regulations are needed to make sure the internet is a safe place where children can learn, connect and play. Currently, the Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse is proposed in the European Union which also contains rules about the online world to protect children. Unfortunately, children’s voices (and those of their caregivers) are being overlooked in the debate on online safety.
To fill the gap of overlooking children in the online safety debate, the VOICE project was initiated. VOICE stands for Values, Opinions, and Insights from Children (and Caregivers) about E-safety. We engage in collaborative, meaningful and outcome driven Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with children while concurrently surveying parents and caregivers in 15 countries across the EU (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Spain, The Netherlands), Asia (Bangladesh, Thailand and The Philippines) and Latin America (Bolivia and Brazil).
ECPAT International, Eurochild and Terre des Hommes Netherlands have joined forces for the VOICE project on behalf of the Down to Zero Alliance.
The VOICE report "Speaking Up For Change" emphasises the necessity of effective safety measures and children's…
Children often rely on their instincts to navigate the digital world due to a lack of actual or perceived alte…
On February 1 2024, the Terre des Hommes Netherlands Global Research Agenda was launched, which will guide our…
With the VOICE research we want to amplify children’s and caregivers’ views on how to build a safer internet f…
Millions of children worldwide are sexually exploited, both online and offline. This number is still growing.…
The Internet has become an active part of children’s lives, where they play, learn and socialise. Children con…
Vanessa would frequent nightclubs with her friends. During this course of time, one of her friends introduced…
“I was afraid to go back to the house where my uncle lived”, said Inthira, a fifteen-year-old girl from Samut…
Thanks to the support of donors, in collaboration with partners and the commitment of volunteers and staff, Te…
The number of children who fall victim to (online) sexual exploitation has increased worldwide. The system tha…
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased child abuse and exploitation, in the Philippines specifically onli…
Worldwide, 1 to 2 million children are victims of sexual exploitation. A complex problem that requires a compr…
Through activities, children and young people discussed what they think about online safety and the balance between protection and privacy. The video below shows how we explained those topics to children and young people. Adults were surveyed with similar questions about online safety, protection and privacy. Full of creativity, the children drafted messages they would like digital policymakers to know.
After the first preliminary findings of the VOICE research, the full research report has now been published.