4.1 A shared responsibility of all stakeholders

🎯 What are the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder?

The stakeholders involved in ensuring that children are protected online include:

• National governments have an obligation to protect children and young people both online and offline. Some of the key requirements for online protection include ensuring that national legislation is fit for this purpose, that law enforcement has the right skills, and that hotlines are in place.
• At the national level, law enforcement agencies need the capacities and skills to combat online child sexual abuse. Based on evidence, provided in part by child sexual abuse content, law enforcement agencies work to locate victims and remove them from harm, as well as to locate the perpetrators. Law enforcement also works at regional and international levels to combat online child sexual abuse. The capacities, skills, and other resources required by law enforcement are crucial: unless laws are actually enforced, children cannot be protected to the extent that they should.  
• The industry also has a responsibility to ensure that the online environment is safe and secure. Service providers can play a key role in creating such an environment, and many tools – such as filters and reporting mechanisms – can be used to this effect. The industry favours self- and co-regulation, which has been recognised as an effective approach. In addition, the industry has been particularly highly active in the area of combatting online child sexual abuse. Apart from individual actors in the ICT industry, a number of industry coalitions have also been formed (more on this further down).
• Children’s NGOs and child helplines and hotlines are key stakeholders in the fight against child sexual abuse and exploitation – both online and offline – and are valuable partners in understanding the scale and nature of the problem, and also in providing counselling and support for victims of abuse. National NGOs may also cooperate through international networks.
• Parents and educators have a responsibility to guide and support children, especially younger children, to use services that promote positive behaviours. They play an important role in education and awareness, which is considered to be an important first line of defence in mitigating the risks.