New Delhi, November 22, 2023: CyberPeace, a leading organisation dedicated to promoting online safety and security, organized a one-day workshop focused on Child Rights and Online Gaming in partnership with UNICEF at The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata.
The primary objective of the workshop was to facilitate a comprehensive dialogue among experts, industry professionals, policymakers, educators, and parents on the issues surrounding child rights and online gaming leading to help stakeholders to identify best practices, legal frameworks, and ethical guidelines that can ensure the protection and well-being of children in the online gaming space.
The themes covered during the workshop included:
1.Understanding Online Gaming Trends
2. Legal and Ethical Aspects of Child Safety
3. Interactive Workshops and Best Practices
4. Group Discussions and Call to Action
Mr ILN Rao from CyberPeace, expressed his/her enthusiasm for the workshop, stating,”In partnership with UNICEF, this workshop marks a significant stride in our quest to enhance our comprehension of online gaming trends and their implications for children. By uniting experts from diverse backgrounds, we aspire to equip parents, educators, and industry professionals with an understanding of the existing legal frameworks and ethical guidelines pertaining to child safety in the gaming industry.”
Additionally, emphasizing on the importance of cybersecurity and cyber hygiene in eGaming Shubhrajyoti Bhowmik, representing UNICEF, said, “The formulation of practical strategies to ensure online child safety is paramount for parents, teachers, and industry professionals. Collaboratively, we seek to pinpoint initiatives for action and advocate for the creation of safer online gaming environments for children. This collaborative workshop with CyberPeace signifies our joint commitment to safeguarding the rights and well-being of the youngest digital citizens.”
Shri Hari Kishore Kusumakar IPS, ADG & IGP Cyber Crime,West Bengal Police, while emphasizing on the Importance of Online Safety for Children said, “In recent years, there has been a growth in numbers in terms of cybercrimes being reported, however the numbers of complaints by children is still low. Meanwhile, in the age of virtual reality and deep fakes, it feels like cases like the recent one involving an actress would be most common in just a couple of years.”
While discussing the intensity of cyber crimes, he added, that there needs to be an organised response over handling cyber crime cases involving children. Further discussing CSAM, he talked of the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and shared how they flag the content online and the amount of reports they have released based on the cases they recieve.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sanjay Kumar Das, Addl. Secretary, IT, West Bengal, and MD WEBEL while discussing the Importance of Ensuring Child Rights in Online Gaming and sharing related anecdotes, said, “At present, despite education, there is lack of knowledge and awareness. We need to understand that the way we train or teach, should be relatable to them and not us. He added that children are provided benefits of certain fundamental rights, however, there are no exclusive rights for children”
He further suggested that children be not compared with other children, and suggested that they are given decision making chances and that a child must have the right to choose. “Children should also be given opportunities to speak up as well,” Mr Das further added.
Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)
