FPB to host roundtable on fighting online child sexual abuse material
The Film and Publication Board (FPB) in partnership with the International Association of Hotline Operators (INHOPE) will host a roundtable with the theme “Hotlines – Fighting Online Child Sexual Abuse Material”. INHOPE is a membership network of hotline operators that assists countries in curbing the distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) images. CSAM is a global issue and requires a global response. The internet does not recognize borders and equally the material hosted on the internet does not recognize borders.
The objective of the membership network is to share knowledge and best practice on how to curb online child sexual abuse images from circulating from any point in the world. FPB has been a member of INHOPE since 2012 and recently the FPB’s CEO, Dr Mashilo Boloka, successfully secured a seat in the Board of INHOPE which bring an opportunity for the FPB to lead conversations within the continent on online safety and also assist African countries to become members of INHOPE.
Through the collaboration with INHOPE, the roundtable aims to increase the footprint and awareness of child protection across the African Continent. This will mitigate the potential dangers like child online grooming. The Kenya Film and Classification Board (KFCB) and the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) will be joining in the roundtable to discuss issues related to CSAM in the African continent.
The objectives of the roundtable discussion are follows:
• To investigate the current situation with regards to online CSAM on the African continent
• To highlight the importance of establishing reporting hotlines in Africa
• To showcase the support given by INHOPE’s new Hotline initiatives
• To inform participants on offender behavior so that victims can be protected
• To map out the steps needed to create a fully operational online reporting hotline
• To raise awareness of the We Protect Global Alliance Model National Response
Members of the media are invited to join the robust roundtable discussion as follows:
Date: 20 February 2023
Time: 09:00 – 17:00
Venue: Hilton Hotel Sandton,138 Rivonia Road, Sandown
“As part of ensuring a safer online space, the FPB Amendment Act came into effect on the 1st of March 2022 and we have recently published the Draft Regulatory Instruments which will assist in implementing the Amendment Act. We invite the public to please give comments and input to the draft regulations to make the document more inclusive,” says FPB’s CEO, Dr Mashilo Boloka.
Source: Government of South Africa