It May be Time to Reinforce Universal Access to the Internet as a Human Right, Not Just a Privilege, High Commissioner tells Human Rights Council

MORNING 10 March 2023

Council Holds First Part of its Annual Full-Day Meeting on the Rights of the Child on the Theme of the Rights of the Child and the Digital Environment, Continues Interactive Dialogue on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

The Human Rights Council this morning held the first part of its annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child on the theme of the rights of the child and the digital environment. It also continued its interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment

Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the digital world was still in its early days. Around the world, more children and young people than ever before were online, either at home or at school, but depending on birthplace, not everyone had this chance. The digital divide meant a staggering 2.2 billion children and young people under 25 around the globe still did not have access to the Internet at home. They were being left behind, unable to access education and training, or news and information that could help protect their health, safety and rights. There was also a gap between girls and boys in terms of access to the Internet. It may be time to reinforce universal access to the Internet as a human right, and not just a privilege. The international community needed to strive for online environments that allowed children to interact and grow, away from harmful and addictive online habits or relentless comparison with their peers.

Mariana, human rights defender from Colombia, said she was an Afro-descendant girl who lived in the middle of the mountains, in a rural territory, located in southern Colombia. However, there were situations that affected the village substantially because there were people and armed groups that made them feel afraid. Many children in her village were studying, however, they did not have access to technology that allowed them to know and learn other ways of communicating with the world; this lack of implementation and technology was exemplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a lot of digital inequality in Colombia; in large cities, 70 out of every 100 families had access to the Internet, while in rural territories, only 29 out of every 100 families had access. The rights of children in the digital environment required greater attention from decision-makers in her territory and in Colombia.

Kidus, human rights defender from Ethiopia, said he was from Ethiopia and served on the National Child Parliament as the Speaker of the House. Children around the world suffered from various forms of violence, abuse, and exploitation because they were deprived of participation on issues that mattered to them. Talking on issues related to digital technology was very crucial for children as they were standing in front of both immense opportunities as well as mounting challenges coming from digital technology. The international community should take all legislative and administrative measures to protect children from all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation in the digital environment. He asked the High Commissioner to explain what his Office was doing to ensure that the United Nations was working to ensure children’s online safety? How could all use digital media effectively to address digital issues affecting children such as abuse, exploitation, and violence?

Nidhi, youth advocate, author and podcaster from India, said it was alarming to learn about the risks that children were subject to, and how unsafe they were whilst using the Internet. Data protection was especially important for children, especially now everything was online. One in every three online users worldwide was a child. Most of the time, they did not know how to use online tools safely or preserve their personal information, which made them extremely vulnerable. It was evident that digital companies through apps, online tools, social media and websites were constantly tracking and storing data. This practice of collecting more data than what was required was unethical and a violation of children’s online space. How could underprivileged children, with no experience of how the online world worked, trust that companies online would protect them and their data?

In the ensuing discussion, speakers welcomed the panel discussion, and in particular the participation of children as panellists. As the first generation to grow up in a world dominated by the use of digital spaces, children’s development had been characterised by digital environments. They had allowed children to find communities across the world, enabled people to stay connected with friends and family abroad, provided invaluable educational resources, and enabled the spread of awareness about social issues. In this age, access to the Internet was needed for children to fully access their rights to education, culture, and leisure.

Speakers noted, however, that the potential harm of the Internet could not be denied. Children were at risk of many threats from the Internet, including exposure to child pornography and indecent images, fake news and cyberbullying. It was concerning how easily children could access adult websites or watch violent videos. States were required to protect children through upholding Conventions such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Efforts needed to be accelerated by States to provide a safe environment which would allow children to enjoy the benefits of new technologies and acquire online skills, without being exposed to risks.

States were urged to expedite the implementation of legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure the realisation and protection of children’s rights in the digital environment.

Addressing the panel were the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood of Egypt, Timor-Leste, European Union, Kyrgyzstan on behalf of the Organization of Turkic States, Côte d’Ivoire on behalf of the Group of African States, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Ireland, United Nations Children’s Fund, Bulgaria, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Poland, Morocco, Uruguay, Romania, Chile, Afghanistan, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, United Nations Population Fund, Paraguay, France, Argentina, and Netherlands.

Also speaking were the National Human Rights Council of Morocco, Equality Now, Save the Children International, Plataforma de Organizaciones de Infancia, Amnesty International, and Arigatou International

At the beginning of the meeting, the Council continued the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment. The interactive dialogue started in the previous meeting and a summary can be found here.

In intermediate remarks, David R. Boyd, Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, responding to questions and comments made during the earlier part of the discussion at the previous meeting of the Council, said on future plans for the mandate regarding procedural environmental rights, these were cornerstones of environmental democracy, and he would be preparing a report for the Human Rights Council in March 2024 which would contain extensive guidance related to these rights. There were four key areas of action needed: to advance the legal recognition of the right, to mainstream it in multi-lateral governance, to accelerate rights-based implementation at the national level, and to monitor the right. It was critical to not allow the right to become a second-class human right: it should be incorporated in a legally binding instrument. The Human Rights Council had an important role to play in monitoring the implementation of the right.

In the discussion, speakers among other things, thanked the Special Rapporteur for his timely report. The report addressed the impacts of environmental degradation on women and girls’ rights as well as State obligations and business responsibilities relating to the realisation of women and girls’ right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The report highlighted the aggravating factor of the environment for the living conditions of vulnerable people, particularly women and girls. Speakers said that women and girls were the first victims of the devastating impacts of environmental damage, impacted by water pollution, soil erosion and other factors, and paid the heaviest price. Some speakers recognised that climate change impacts were more acute for Pacific women and girls, and those facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and inequality.

Poor countries also bore the brunt of the burden, especially as they did not have the means to develop technologies to monitor air quality, drinking water, food and nutrition security. The international community needed to support weaker States, keeping in mind institutional frameworks. Some speakers said that unilateral coercive measures contributed to environmental harm in targeted countries and prevented people from enjoying their right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Speakers maintained that accelerating the achievement of gender equality also meant advancing fairer and more effective environmental decisions. For this, public policy instruments, projects and initiatives to manage climate change needed to integrate a gender approach.

Speaking in the discussion were Gabon, Ethiopia, Georgia, Senegal, Chile, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Australia, United Nations Environment Programme, Namibia, Botswana, Brazil, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Benin, Panama, United Nations Population Fund, Bolivia, Saudi Arabia, Gambia, Cuba, Côte d’Ivoire, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, Ireland, Ukraine, Iran, Pakistan, and International Law Development Organization.

The webcast of the Human Rights Council meetings can be found here. All meeting summaries can be found here. Documents and reports related to the Human Rights Council’s fifty-second regular session can be found here.

The Council will reconvene on Friday, 10 March, at 3 p.m. to continue with the second part of the annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child on the theme of “Rights of the Child and the Digital Environment”, followed by the conclusion of the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment.

Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment

The interactive dialogue with David R. Boyd, Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, started in the previous meeting and a summary can be found here.

Intermediate Comments

DAVID R. BOYD, Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, responding to questions and comments made during the earlier part of the discussion at the previous meeting of the Council, said on future plans for the mandate regarding procedural environmental rights, these were cornerstones of environmental democracy, and he would be preparing a report for the Human Rights Council in March 2024 which would contain extensive guidance related to these rights. He was also working to aid in several areas of the world to build an environmental framework on these rights.

On the work of the human rights and environment mandate, last year he had presented a report on the Sustainable Development Goals and the right to the General Assembly, and he pointed out that these were not aspirational, but were founded on international human rights obligations and law, and States should treat them thus, as obligations that should be fulfilled. He had also done a series of policy briefs: one on loss and damage in the climate context, one on biodiversity, and one on human rights and environmental due diligence legislation.

Another key question was how to improve the participation of women and girls in environmental governance, and the report contained recommendations on education, limiting barriers to education, quotas, and ensuring that biodiversity and climate finance flowed to organizations led by women and girls. It was critical to ensure equal access to land ownership, resource tenures, finance, and training for rural and agricultural women. There were four key areas of action needed: to advance the legal recognition of the right, to mainstream it in multi-lateral governance, to accelerate rights-based implementation at the national level, and to monitor the right. It was critical to not allow the right to become a second-class human right: it should be incorporated in a legally binding instrument. The Human Rights Council had an important role to play in monitoring the implementation of the right.

Discussion

In the discussion, speakers among other things, thanked the Special Rapporteur for his timely report. The report addressed the impacts of environmental degradation on women and girls’ rights as well as State obligations and business responsibilities relating to the realisation of women and girls’ right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The report clearly reflected the risks posed by an unhealthy environment to human health and the enjoyment of human rights, and agreed on the need for States, in dealing with climate, biodiversity and pollution crises, to adopt gender-transformative measures. As the international community celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the universal acceptance of gender equality was undoubted. However, what remained was the huge task of bringing this virtue to reality, even in the face of discouraging statistics.

The report highlighted the aggravating factor of the environment for the living conditions of vulnerable people, particularly women and girls. Speakers said that women and girls were the first victims of the devastating impacts of environmental damage, impacted by water pollution, soil erosion and other factors, and paid the heaviest price. This situation violated human dignity and significantly impeded human rights, such as the right to life, well-being and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. It also undermined the achievement of a peaceful, prosperous and secure future as targeted by the Sustainable Development Goals. Structural drivers of gender inequality, such as negative social norms and intersectional discrimination, exacerbated the disproportionate impact of environmental disasters on women and girls and perpetuated gender-blind responses.

Some speakers recognised that climate change impacts were more acute for Pacific women and girls, and those facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and inequality. Concern was also expressed about the situation of women and girl environmental human rights defenders, who faced additional challenges and danger due to gender-based discrimination, despite their positive contribution to environmental protection. Some noted that the impacts of the climate crisis were not gender neutral, increasing threats to women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights, including increased risk of stillbirth.

Poor countries also bore the brunt of the burden, especially as they did not have the means to develop technologies to monitor air quality, drinking water, food and nutrition security. The international community needed to support weaker States, keeping in mind institutional frameworks. Some said that unilateral coercive measures contributed to environmental harm in targeted countries and prevented people from enjoying their right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Speakers maintained that accelerating the achievement of gender equality also meant advancing fairer and more effective environmental decisions. For this, public policy instruments, projects and initiatives to manage climate change needed to integrate the gender approach. The active participation of women and girls in decision making, planning, implementation, and follow-up to environmental policies was essential and would ensure better protection of their rights. Women and girls had shown their crucial role as environmental leaders. Governments needed to empower them by ensuring access to information and resources in relation to climate and environmental issues, while making sure preparedness and response plans took their views and needs on board.

The gender gap in relation to the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment specifically could be narrowed if women and girls participated in every layer, effort and initiative towards social economic development. This required the dismantling of age-old discriminatory regimes, ranging from laws and practices to prejudices. It was appreciated that women and girls were described as agents of change in the report. Women and girls could provide solutions to the triple planetary crises of climate change, loss of biodiversity, and pollution.

Speakers called on the international community to work together to create an ecologically sustainable and gender-equitable world, since neither could be achieved without the other. They agreed with the Special Rapporteur on the link between the climate crisis and the enjoyment of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment by women and girls. There was a need to empower women and girls as climate and environmental leaders by, among others, partnering with ministries responsible for girls and women’s affairs when designing and implementing climate and environmental policies and actions. Speaker touted urgent and impactful climate and environmental action as a top priority, and confirmed their commitment to support the work of the Special Rapporteur and the Human Rights Council in this area, and endorsed the call for a gender transformative change.

Speakers asked the Special Rapporteur how the international community could best cooperate to reduce the disproportionate harm that environmental challenges had on women and girls? How could it be ensured that the recommendations within the report were effectively implemented by States?

First Part of the Annual Full-day Panel Meeting on the Rights of the Child on the Theme of “Rights of the Child and the Digital Environment”

Opening Statements

PHILIP JAFFÉ, Member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and Director of the Centre for Children’s Rights Studies at the University of Geneva, and moderator of the panel, said much of the world was either fully or already in the digital age: some were digital natives, and some were Neanderthals. The Committee on the Rights of the Child had to provide guidance on these matters, hence its general comment 25. How to build on this document was an important question.

VOLKER TÜRK, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said this was a session of firsts: the digital world was still in its early days. Around the world, more children and young people than ever before were online, either at home or at school, but depending on birthplace, not everyone had this chance. The digital divide meant a staggering 2.2 billion children and young people under 25 around the globe still did not have access to the Internet at home. They were being left behind, unable to access education and training, or news and information that could help protect their health, safety and rights. There was also a gap between girls and boys in terms of access to the Internet. It may be time to reinforce universal access to the Internet as a human right, and not just a privilege.

With rapid digital progress came mounting risks and challenges. Online bullying and harassment were rampant. Toxic influencers could share dangerous, misogynistic or racist views or calls to action. Personal data could be used for illicit purposes. The rising social pressure that children could feel online was unprecedented; the dangers neither started nor stopped in the online space, frequently spilling over into daily, offline realities. The impact on mental health could be deep and long-lasting well into adulthood.

Restrictive laws, censorship and Internet shutdowns around the world continued to impact children’s rights to information, to freedom of expression, to privacy, and to education. Governments should take more decisive measures and firmly put children’s interests and rights at the centre of their policies and approaches. Governments must also do more to hold businesses to account. For their part, businesses must play a role. Tech companies must incorporate respect for children’s rights into the design and implementation of digital tools and platforms, providing adequate and sophisticated guardrails for their protection.

The international community needed to strive for online environments that allowed children to interact and grow, away from harmful and addictive online habits or relentless comparison with their peers. The children of the world were the future. They were also the here and now. They could not be reduced to a ‘user-base.’ Their rights must be protected, including the right to be heard. What if, the High Commissioner asked, they built an online world that was in the best interests of children, and where they could safely take advantage of every exciting opportunity technology could offer them?

MARIANA, human rights defender from Colombia, said she was an Afro-descendant girl who lived in the middle of the mountains, in a rural territory located in southern Colombia. However, there were situations that affected the village substantially because there were people and armed groups that made them feel afraid. Many children in her village were studying, however, they did not have access to technology that allowed them to know and learn other ways of communicating with the world; this lack of implementation and technology was exemplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the community, it was difficult for parents to buy phones or tablets, let alone a computer, because the resources of the families were so scarce. There was a lot of digital inequality in Colombia; in large cities, 70 out of every 100 families had access to the Internet, while in rural territories, only 29 out of every 100 families had access.

The rights of children in the digital environment required greater attention from decision-makers in her territory and in Colombia. States needed to give priority to educational institutions in the most remote areas, so that they could have Internet and technology such as tablets or computers for every girl and boy. Rural areas were most impacted as they did not have Internet access. There was a need to train more children about technologies and the importance of knowing how to use them properly. In many cases, children were exposed to pornography, bullying, and sexual harassment, sometimes between peers, but also by unknown people in the region who were a risk to children. There was a need to create inclusive policies for children which recognised their diversity. A full commitment from States to the Convention on the Rights of the Child was needed. Mariana said there were children with dreams in rural areas who needed support.

KIDUS, human rights defender from Ethiopia, said he was from Ethiopia and served on the National Child Parliament as the Speaker of the House. Children around the world suffered from various forms of violence, abuse, and exploitation because they were deprived of participation on issues that mattered to them. Talking on issues related to digital technology was very crucial for children as they were standing in front of both immense opportunities as well as mounting challenges coming from digital technology. Digital technology was bringing unlimited opportunities for children to educate and express themselves, socialise with others, and define themselves in terms of who they were in the future

Equally important to working towards creating digital access, every wisdom needed to be applied so that children were protected from all forms of harm floating on the digital environment. Well-designed preventive mechanisms put in place ensured the wellbeing of children online, and should be at the top of priorities to ensure the future generation be holistically well, more productive, and peaceful. The international community should take all legislative and administrative measures to protect children from all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation in the digital environment. He asked the High Commissioner to explain what his Office was doing to ensure that the United Nations was working to ensure children’s online safety? How could all use digital media effectively to address digital issues affecting children such as abuse, exploitation, and violence?

NIDHI, youth advocate, author and podcaster from India, said through her own research for a panel discussion, it was alarming to learn about the risks that children were subject to, and how unsafe they were whilst using the Internet. Data protection was especially important for children, especially now everything was online. One in every three online users worldwide was a child. Most of the time, they did not know how to use online tools safely or preserve their personal information, which made them extremely vulnerable. It was evident that digital companies through apps, online tools, social media and websites were constantly tracking and storing data. This practice of collecting more data than what was required was unethical and a violation of children’s online space. How could children know what online data was being used for? Was it being sold to other third-party companies? How was it known that the information provided online was safe?

Terms and conditions easily made it legal for companies to do whatever they pleased with a user’s data. Only one per cent of digital users read the terms and conditions before they started using any new application. In addition, new technologies like Artificial Intelligence used online were so advanced that regulators were finding it hard to keep up with how data was collected from the users. In the context of children, this meant they could see things they were not ready for, including explicit content, which could be very scarring for them. Nidhi said she was lucky to be in an environment where she received guidance on how to act safely in the online world; however, not all children had this privilege. How could underprivileged children, with no experience of how the online world worked, trust that companies online would protect them and their data?

VOLKER TÜRK, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, responding to the statements made by the panellists, said it was very important to listen to the three speakers and their experiences. The three statements gave him incredible hope for the importance of what human rights meant for the future. The speakers lived with it as they spoke. When he was 15, when learning English in a schoolbook, there was a story about children in different parts of the world who could not go to school, juxtaposed with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and it brought home to him how important it was that some came from privileged backgrounds and forgot what the situation was in other parts of the world. The speakers had brought a reality check in this regard.

The questions posed were important. Internet access was important, and yet, for many reasons, including violence and discrimination, it was not always there. It was critical that there were public spaces where children could have Internet access as a first step, and this was an urgent challenge that Governments and businesses should consider and address, including how to bridge the digital divide. On how to promote positive views of technology for children, there was the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of the Child that looked at child rights every year, and they had adopted a general comment number 25 on precisely those issues of use of technology from the perspective of safety, knowledge, and digital literacy, and it should be translated into a child-friendly model that could be shared and disseminated.

On what the United Nations could do to ensure better online safety, the United Nations was analysing what type of risks and opportunities there were, and was also trying to work with Governments and businesses to ensure that regulations occurred. There were actually measures that were being taken at various regional and national levels. On how to better address digital issues that affected children, it was extremely important that there be digital literacy, which had to also include child rights, safety, knowledge of opportunities and risks, and there needed to be investment in this. Digital space was vital for the most underprivileged, and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees had done a lot of work to bring the digital work into refugee camps, in particular from an education perspective.

Discussion

Speakers, among other things, welcomed the panel discussion, and in particular the participation of children as panellists. Children’s rights should be fully protected and implemented in the digital environment. Their voices needed to be heard on this topic as their lives were almost entirely characterised by use of the digital space. Children’s lives and rights were increasingly connected with the digital environment. Even where children themselves did not have access to the Internet, digital technologies could affect their lives and rights in wide-ranging ways.

As the first generation to grow up in a world dominated by the use of digital spaces, children’s development had been characterised by digital environments. They had allowed children to find communities across the world, enabled people to stay connected with friends and family abroad, provided invaluable educational resources, and enabled the spread of awareness about social issues. The increasingly vital role of the digital environment in children’s lives was particularly exemplified during the pandemic when education was provided online. The pandemic had highlighted the need for children to be safe on the Internet and social media. In this age, access to the Internet was needed for children to fully access their rights to education, culture, and leisure. Speakers recognised the vast potential in the digital environment for realising children’s rights, including for their rights to education, healthcare and play.

Speakers noted, however, that the potential harm of the Internet could not be denied. Being a space where anyone could spread their voice across the world could also provide a platform for those who wished to spread disinformation and incite hatred. Children were at risk of many threats from the Internet, including exposure to child pornography and indecent images, fake news and cyberbullying. It was concerning how easily children could access adult websites or watch violent videos. Furthermore, the bullying of children in elementary and high school was disheartening, with false rumours, threats, and even the sharing of nudes.

The rapid uptake and development of digital technologies had not been accompanied by the legislation, services, and education required to ensure its safe and empowering use. This left children vulnerable to serious harm, including sexual exploitation and abuse, trafficking, gender-based violence, cyberaggression, incitement to suicide and/or life-threatening activities, violations of children’s privacy, and exploitative digital marketing practices.

States were required to protect children through upholding Conventions such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Efforts needed to be accelerated by States to provide a safe environment which would allow children to enjoy the benefits of new technologies and acquire online skills, without being exposed to risks. Government officials and lawmakers were urged to hold social media groups accountable for their lack of commitment to regulate their platforms accordingly. Schools should introduce awareness campaigns, and online bullies should face the consequences of their actions. Sheltering children from the Internet was not a solution. It was crucial to enable children to develop the necessary knowledge to access and use the Internet. The digital environment needed to be safe for children and must respect their rights. It was also important that digital technology did not replace face to face interactions.

Some speakers said the majority of children today had received some form of Internet safety education, but it tended to be lacking and out-dated. Schools should teach children real ways to protect their data and spot predatory behaviour and misinformation. It needed to be ensured that children and parents had the skills to navigate the digital space safely and take advantage of its opportunities.

Speakers called on all businesses that affected children in relation to the digital environment to embed respect for children’s rights across their digital activities through policy commitments, child rights due diligence processes, and remediation of any adverse child rights impacts. States were urged to expedite the implementation of legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure the realisation and protection of children’s rights in the digital environment. This included holding businesses accountable for child rights abuses. As States implemented global principles and laws for the digital age, the importance of upholding children’s rights, supporting their well-being, and including best interests as an important right, legal principle, and rule of procedure was crucial. It was vital to put children at the heart of all policies concerning them, particularly online.

Speakers asked the panel what advice could be given about respecting the balance between protection and education for children online? How long would the effects of the pandemic be felt?

Intermediate Remarks

PHILIP JAFFÉ, Member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and Director of the Centre for Children’s Rights Studies at the University of Geneva, and moderator of the panel, said there was a child-friendly version of the General Comment by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

NIDHI, youth advocate, author and podcaster from India, said she was glad that everybody was concerned. On the impact of social media on children, algorithms were very invasive. This was not right, as children used these services without being aware of what they were giving away. Extended screen time was tempting, and could have a negative impact on physical and mental health, and could also present inappropriate content. It was important to protect children when building algorithms. Age restrictions were important so as to avoid inappropriate content on social media. Instead of putting an entry aid restriction, child-friendly versions should be created that filtered out what was inappropriate. The pictures shown by online advertisers and influencers could have a negative impact, promoting false aspirations in children, leading to physical and mental issues. Even when children left, the data stayed stored.

KIDUS, human rights defender from Ethiopia, said for children to enjoy all aspects of the Internet, they should have access to it. It was the best place to find what the world could offer. Children could not imagine their future without access to online space. Access to the Internet needed to be expanded. There were countries that were depriving people of access to the Internet for various reasons, including financial resources. On the other hand, repressive Governments shut down online access, depriving children of their rights to digital space, and resulting in negative economic and educational impact on their future life. International bodies needed to take a serious stance on this. States needed to provide access, and be held accountable if they failed to do so.

PHILIP JAFFÉ, Member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and Director of the Centre for Children’s Rights Studies at the University of Geneva, and moderator of the panel, said the key was collaboration, and the Human Rights Council had taken a big step forward in that direction.

VOLKER TÜRK, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said it had been an important discussion, focusing on the issues that children considered important themselves. In the context of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the thirtieth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, there should be consultations with young people and children in order to ensure better communication and better connectivity for young children around the world. On how to promote better and safer use of digital tools, general comment 25 provided, from a substantive perspective, the best answer, and it was ultimately about the best interests of children. In order to know the best interests of the child, it was about participation, listening and hearing, and understanding what was happening in the online and offline world, and better regulating in order to be able to better respond. It was also important to keep collecting good practice examples. There were processes in place that ensured child-friendly complaints procedures.

MARIANA, human rights defender from Colombia, said on how children could help to ensure that there was safer online access, recently she had watched a video on key messages of protection when going on social media to share things with other children, and this was thanks to technology and social media, which allowed children to share information with the entire world. The Internet helped to learn how to participate in many different areas and spaces and to speak about things of interest to children, and promote their rights. Of course, there were many risks, but there were also so many opportunities to work together to ensure that everyone used the Internet properly and benefitted from all the opportunities provided in an appropriate way.

PHILIP JAFFÉ, Member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and Director of the Centre for Children’s Rights Studies at the University of Geneva, and moderator of the panel, quoting General Comment 25, said “States parties should ensure that in all actions regarding the provision, regulation, design, management and use of the digital environment, the best interests of the child was a primary consideration.”

Discussion

In the continuing discussion, speakers appreciated the presentations from the panellists on children's rights in the digital context. The new generation Z, who were born in the midst of the expansion of technology, mastered the new information and communication techniques from a young age. To ensure the rights of children, it was important that they became familiar with new digital technology. Countries needed to prioritise the best interests of children and adolescents in the digital environment. States were urged to place the needs and rights of children at the very heart of digital design, ensuring that the same freedoms, protections and privileges that they had offline, were also applied online.

Digital technologies had greatly impacted children and transformed the way they learnt, communicated, played and interacted with others. Information and communication technologies were a central part of the lives of children and adolescents which, when servicing the fundamental rights of children, constituted a powerful tool that strengthened the exercise of their human rights. Social networks during the pandemic had helped to sustain education and communication and allowed for informing opinions and entertainment, among other helpful things.

At the same time, however, children and adolescents also faced risks online, and their privacy and even their physical and mental integrity may be affected in cases of violence or exploitation. Some speakers said that children living under armed conflict suffered disproportionate harm, and therefore needed additional support. They were worried about the reports that more than 13,000 Ukrainian children were deported to Russia, given new identities, and adopted by Russians. There was a need to raise awareness about the forced deportations and filtration camps and assist the Ukrainian side to collect necessary documentation. States were also urged to think about the girls in Afghanistan, who could no longer go to school just because they had turned 13.

Many children around the world remained further behind as they continued to be denied access to education and alternative learning opportunities. So many children did not have access to the digital environment because of poverty or lack of infrastructure in their countries. There was an urgent need to overcome digital exclusion and bridge the digital divide between developed and developing communities.

The participation of young people was vital to ensure the digital environment was designed in a safe way. Adults needed to listen to children before taking decisions. Children needed to be at the centre to ensure a safe environment for all. The search for an adequate balance that allowed children and adolescents to access the benefits of the virtual environment, without generating violation of their security and safeguarding their physical, psychological and emotional integrity, implied a commitment of all actors in the debate to a roadmap for a connected world for all.

Concluding Remarks

PHILIP JAFFÉ, Member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and Director of the Centre for Children’s Rights Studies at the University of Geneva, moderator of the panel, said the children had spoken with great conviction and passion about very important issues, including addressing inequalities and discrimination and speaking for all children. Being a representative of the Committee of the Rights of the Child, it was good to see children expressing themselves directly.

MARIANA, human rights defender from Colombia, said after having listened to the High Commissioner and all panellists and statements from the floor, the main recommendation for Member States was to work on reducing lack of access and inequalities that were faced by many remote regions of the world. Closing the digital gap would help young people be empowered and learn to communicate. In a safe environment, the most important thing was to be connected in a safe way.

KIDUS, human rights defender from Ethiopia, said the international community should ensure children’s participation on issues that mattered to them, and their voices must be listened to when governments developed legislation, policies, programmes, and services on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment. States parties should prohibit by law the profiling or targeting of children of any age for commercial purposes, ensure that appropriate enforcement mechanisms and legislation were put in place to protect children from the crimes that occurred on the digital environment, and also regularly review, adopt, and update national legislation in line with international human rights standards. There should be reporting mechanisms put in place such as hotlines for children, parents/guardians, care givers, etc. to report incidents to law enforcement bodies. Today's revolution was focusing more on technology, with transactions, studies and other activities taking place online. Leaders must embrace and work to ensure that the young generation had access to the Internet and to protect them from any form of violence, abuse, and exploitation on the Internet.

NIDHI, youth advocate, author and podcaster from India, said the digital world was invented for adults, and the protections needed for children were too often missing. Online services did not deliberately aim to put children at risk, but the risks were often not accidental, putting a barrier in the way for the online environment to be a positive force. Rather than limiting children to protect them, companies and institutions should make changes. The best interests of the child should be the primary consideration in all decisions affecting them. Safety measures should be taken in advance, in design. Services must respond to the evolving capacity of children to be more involved in decisions affecting them as they developed. Services could not pick and choose which rights to respect: all must be respected. Children should have access online, but should be treated fairly when there. These points should be taken into account by Governments and digital organizations, with all countries involved in order to ensure the further safety of children.

PHILIP JAFFÉ, Member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and Director of the Centre for Children’s Rights Studies at the University of Geneva, moderator of the panel, said States must listen, and hoped that they were listening to the children’s points and proposals made today, as this would improve the situation. A lot had been heard about access, hope, and the future, as well as concerning girls as inequalities existed in some very specific instances in their regard which were very preoccupying. Children here had spoken to the fact that they were dependent and needed the digital world to grow and mature and become better human beings and socialise. It was imperative to provide the framework for them to grow without their mental health being put at risk, as this had future repercussions. All stakeholders had mentioned the importance of coming up with best solutions to an evolving field, and the international community needed to keep thinking about solutions and bring all the stakeholders together.

---

Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the information media; not an official record.
English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.