Friday, April 1, 2005

Hotline help for UK parents

Yesterday I was at a Childnet International conference in Jamaica, during which a dad from the UK asked if there was anyone a parent could call in his country to get help if a child was at risk online - local police didn't seem to be able to help. Though the answer was pretty much "no" yesterday, a BBC report today indicates that it'll be "yes" within a year. "A unit to protect children in the UK from Internet paedophiles is being set up by the Home Office," according to the BBC. To be called the Centre for Child Protection on the Internet, its staff of about 100 people from law enforcement and child welfare will be open 24 hours a day. "The centre will take on work being done by the National Crime Squad and will target those who distribute child porn images or 'groom' children for abuse. It sound as if it will function similarly to Cybertipline.com at the US's National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Cybertip.ca in Canada - remarkable services I hope parents in all countries will have access to someday.

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