Childnet works with Governments to help develop good online safety advice June 2003

Childnet International has been invited by the Ministry of Women’s Rights Child Development and Family Welfare in Mauritius to assist in the development of an Internet safety strategy for their country.

The Mauritian Government has an ambitious programme to make Mauritius a ‘CyberIsland’, to develop the IT sector as one of the main pillars of the Mauritian economy, and as part of this to educate almost all of its 1.2 million citizens in IT literacy. This current drive across the country to make all sections of Mauritian society computer- and Internet-proficient, and this includes parents and children, presents the need for and the perfect opportunity to establish a framework for child safety online.

In early June Will Gardner, Childnet’s Research and Policy Officer, visited Mauritius to conduct a series of interviews with various organisations and relevant government departments including the Ministry for Education and Scientific Research, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, the State Law Office, the National Computer Board, the National Children’s Council, and the Police. He also met with industry representatives and visited several schools. Will Gardner’s five day fact-finding visit was part of the process of reviewing the current situation in Mauritius and the concerns relating to child safety on the Internet. Childnet International will write a report for the Ministry reviewing existing policies and make recommendations for policies to ensure that children are protected online.

The initial fact-finding trip was funded by the British Council and the Ministry of Women’s Rights, Child Development, and Family Welfare. Will says, "It was a very successful visit to this beautiful island. Mauritius has a truly ambitious programme to build an IT society and it is absolutely the right time for them to be thinking about issues of child safety on the Internet."

Another country wanting expertise from Childnet is Malta which has recently agreed to roll-out Childnet’s Kidsmart resource in the schools. see www.kidsmart.org.uk. Later in June, Childnet staff will travel to Malta to start to train a group of trainers who will then take adapted Kidsmart resources into the schools and youth organisations. Childnet will help with writing a Maltese Kidsmart website, leaflets and posters. Stephen Carrick-Davies from Childnet says, “It is excellent that the Childnet’s Kidsmart resources are being taken up and used in different parts of the world. We very much look forward to working with the Maltese Ministry for IT and Investments and the E-Malta Commission in ensuring that Maltese children and parents use the Internet in a positive and safe way.”