How Malta is helping to keep children safe online

ITU News

We recently spoke to Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, former President of Malta and founder of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society.

How would you evaluate the current level of online safety for children and youth in Malta?

The Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society recently conducted a statistical exercise on child online safety, with support from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and in collaboration with independent consulting firm MISCO.

This involved collecting and analysing data compiled into a single national repository that will ensure that the country has research and evidence to guide any future national policy.

The exercise will have helped to provide additional information to that currently available on cybercrime which does not focus on specific types; nor is it age specific. While data exists on bullying in general, for example, there is none specific to online bullying.

What new challenges have emerged in recent years?

The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to diverse challenges for society at large, as well as for policymakers. Many individuals experienced loneliness and isolation, among other problems, while economic and social disparities also increased.

These problems have impacted both the adult population and the younger generation, with serious consequences. Online abuse in its different forms increased exponentially amid the pandemic, mainly due to the increased time most people dedicated to digital usage.

What is the current national framework in place to ensure the safety of children and the youth online?

In December 2021, the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society – through MISCO – took stock of the current national framework for child online protection and highlighted several structures and measures in place.

The Malta Police Force’s Cybercrime Unit – established under Chapter IX of the Laws of Malta – is present in various consortia working on cybercrime. The Foundation for Social Welfare Services coordinates the BeSmartOnline project, with participation by the non-governmental organization SOS Malta, which operates a public social partnership, Kellimni.com, aimed at promoting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation has established a set of guidelines for senior management in relation to cybercrime.

Malta also participated in the European Union’s Kids Online study.

Can you give some examples of what your foundation is currently doing to improve online safety for children and youth?

The Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society has embarked on the P.O.P-up project – Promoting Online Protection − which aims to fully implement ITU’s Child Online Protection guidelines.

P.O.P-up intends to go beyond awareness raising and will implement policy measures to bring about actual changes and improvements in the online safety of children across the Maltese islands.

The foundation has brought together major stakeholders to discuss and draw up policy measures based on ITU’s guidelines.

The Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society also decided to roll out the ITU Training of Trainers for Educators on Child Online Protection. The training course was provided in June this year to all psychosocial professionals from the State, church, and private schools in the country. Frontliners are now equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle incidents related to child-online abuse, and Malta counts 115 trained staff.

With the aim of ensuring a higher level of protection for our children on digital platforms, the P.O.P-up project, whose objectives have received endorsement from the European Parliament, will also benefit from a tailormade communication strategy.

How important is international cooperation for child online protection, and how could ITU’s Child Online Protection guidelines add additional value for your country?

Both regional and international cooperation is crucial, with continual exchanges of best practices needed to ensure that children around the globe can benefit from the highest level of protection and safety in the digital world.

ITU, as the UN agency for digital technologies, serves as an excellent facilitator and indeed plays a pivotal role in fostering regional and international cooperation on this issue.

The Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society has benefitted greatly from ITU’s support and assistance in implementing the current project.

The translation of ITU’s guidelines and related materials into the Maltese language represents another key step to raise awareness about cyberthreats and how to keep children safe online.

Check out ITU’s latest Child Online Protection guidelines.

Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, served as President of Malta from 2014 to 2019. At the age of 55, she was the youngest person to be elected President of Malta and the second female Head of State after 32 years.

Header image credit: ©ITU/M. Farrugia