Mauritius Prepares to Set Up Online Action Plan to Protect Children

The Mauritius ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications is presently preparing an Action Plan for the security of children on the Internet.

Speaking to the press Wednesday morning at the ministry in Port Louis, the capital, Vijay Mauree, Director of the National Computer Board explained that a first meeting of the Child Safety Online Committee (CSOC) was held on Tuesday in order to establish a calendar for the Action Plan which will lay the framework for the keynotes concerning internet security for children, sexual cybercrimes and amendments to the Child Protection Act.

The CSOC, he indicated, has been set up in the context of the National Information Security Strategy (NISS) of the ministry as there is almost no control on the Internet concerning pornography and equally such information that is not appropriate to children.

He added that given the increasing number of households that have been connected to the web, there has been an increase in the number of sexual offenses on children. Internet, he cautioned is a good communications tool, but at the same time facilitates sexual crimes and abuses against children.

The priorities of the CSOC, he pointed out, will be to evaluate the number of cases of sexual abuses on children, preconceive measures in order to improve children’s security on the Internet and finally set up the Child Safety Online Action Plan.

According to Mauree, Mauritians are not very much aware of the problem. To this effect the CSOC is also recommending the setting up of a Child Online Safety Awareness Program in schools and on television.

Mauree disclosed that few Internet access providers presently offer web filters to their clients which would allow access control to certain sites. There is also no filtering mechanism in public places where Internet is used.

Mauree added that the CSOC will also establish “Codes of Practices” which will be put in practice in schools, cyber cafes, and in Public Internet Access Points.

Source African Press Agency

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