Nine out of ten parents in Cyprus are not aware that dangers and risks from the use of internet by their children exist , while only one out of four parents monitor the use of the internet, a research conducted in 2011 by “EU Kids Online” says.
According to a press release issued by “Hope for Children” on the occasion of Safer Internet Day (SID) which is celebrated on 11th of February, nine out of ten parents in Cyprus are unable to handle the problem, either because they do not know the risks or because of lack of time.
Another survey shows that young people in Cyprus can only understand the meaning of “Security”, which includes protection against viruses, altering personal files and damage to software, but not the term “Safety”, which refers to the protection from fraud, malicious content and especially the security of personal data.
“Hope For Children” UNCRC Policy Center participates in various initiatives with the aim to educate and inform children on the use of internet but also to create awareness for parents on the issue.
The ‘Beat Bullying’ Campaign includes activities targeting cyber-bullying and also positive measures using technological tools, such as the HFC Beat Bullying App (available for download on the Google Play Store), and the ONE in FIVE Campaign to stop sexual abuse against children, which focuses on online grooming and solicitation in an effort to lobby for the ratification of the most comprehensive legislation on this topic, the Lanzarote Convention, by Cyprus.
Safer Internet Day is a special day was designed to inform parents and their children and societies in general about the risks and dangers lurking in the use of the vast collection data that we call internet. These threats are often translated into hate speech, discrimination, cyber-bullying, pornographic material, online solicitation/grooming of minors and corruption of children.
Organisations, institutions and groups worldwide have recognized the permanence of information recorded online and are therefore drawing on the importance of taking preventive actions through educational activities with children and protective actions through tracing, identifying and halting a potential threat and even persecuting individuals who believed to have violated the rights of cyberspace.
Within the EU, States are acknowledging the need to protect citizens in the online world, and some are bound legally to do so, remarkably through the Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe.
The Convention, with its attached Protocol on Xenophobia and Racism is the only binding international instrument on this issue, which serves as a guideline for national legislative frameworks against Cybercrime and for facilitating international and inter-State cooperation.
In Cyprus, the Convention was ratified and incorporated with a law in 2004 in order to be enforceable on a national level. Moreover, Cyprus has a specialized Data Protection Law to protect against exploitation of data in any way.