WeProtect

WeProtect Global Alliance (also known as the Alliance) is a global alliance that brings together experts from government, the private sector and civil society to protect children from sexual abuse online.

David Cameron - Speaking at WeProtect Summit 2014
WeProtect Global Alliance
Formation2013
TypeNon-profit organization
Focusprotecting children online
Region served
Worldwide
Websitewww.weprotect.org

History

On 22 July 2013, then-Prime Minister David Cameron made a speech regarding the proliferation and accessibility of child abuse images on the Internet and about cracking down on online pornography.[1] The Prime Minister announced that a new UK-US taskforce would be created to lead a global alliance of the biggest Internet companies to tackle indecent images of children online. Joanna Shields, then the Prime Minister's advisor for digital industries, would head up this initiative, working with the UK and US governments, law enforcement agencies and the technology industry to maximise the international efforts.

In October 2013, it was announced that Damian Green, HMG Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims would be travelling to the US with Joanna Shields to formalise arrangements for the task force[2] and to meet with the US Attorney General and leading internet companies.

On 18 November 2013, the Prime Minister hosted an Internet Safety Summit [3] at No 10 Downing Street with Joanna Shields to discuss what is being done to block child abuse content and protect children from harmful material online. Participants, including leading search engines, internet service providers, the National Crime Agency, Internet Watch Foundation and the NSPCC, discussed how to rid the internet of child sexual abuse and exploitation. After the summit, the Internet safety communiqué [4] was issued, setting out the agreed-upon action.

On 13 December 2013, Policing Minister Damian Green, US Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman and Joanna Shields launched the first meeting of the US-UK taskforce to Counter Online Child Exploitation.[5]

In April 2014, Home Office Minister Damian Green addressed the NSPCC child safety conference [6] about the government's work to stamp out online sexual exploitation.

He also told the conference [7] that Google had launched a programme to embed their engineers in the Internet Watch Foundation.

The UK Prime Minister hosted the WePROTECT Global Summit[8] in London in December 2014. The summit gathered government leaders, leading technology companies and civil society organisations to galvanise action to end online child sexual exploitation. The Home Secretary[9] opened the summit, speaking about the scale of abuse and what the UK is doing to combat it. The Prime Minister [10] was the keynote speaker on the second day. Alongside a raft of measures and technical innovations to tackle those who use the Internet to view and share indecent images, the Prime Minister announced that the UK would work with UNICEF to develop a new global Child Protection Fund.[11]

In May 2016, WePROTECT merged with the Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online “to create, for the first time, a single organisation with the influence, expertise and resources to transform how online child sexual exploitation is dealt with worldwide”.[12]

In July 2016, the WeProtect Global Alliance launched a new Fund to End Violence Against Children at the United Nations to deliver a global program of capacity and capability, with an initial donation of £40 million from the UK government. The Fund is hosted by UNICEF, and the WePROTECT Global Alliance Board are responsible for advising how to prioritize its activities for maximum impact.[13]

References
  1. "The internet and pornography: Prime Minister calls for action". www.gov.uk. 22 July 2013.
  2. "Internet child abuse 'clampdown' by new UK-US agency - BBC News". BBC News. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  3. "PM hosts internet safety summit - News stories". GOV.UK. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  4. "Internet safety summit at Downing Street: communiqué - News stories". GOV.UK. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  5. "UK and US launch taskforce to tackle child abuse - News stories". GOV.UK. 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  6. "Child abuse: Stepping up the fight against online child sexual exploitation - News stories". GOV.UK. 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  7. "On-line safety: Encouraging the world's biggest technology companies to innovate - Speeches". GOV.UK. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  8. "Global war declared on online child sexual abuse - News stories". GOV.UK. 2014-12-08. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  9. "We owe it to victims to act boldly and decisively - Speeches". GOV.UK. 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  10. "#WeProtect Children Online Global Summit: Prime Minister's speech - Speeches". GOV.UK. 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  11. "PM announces new global action to deal with online child abuse - Press releases". GOV.UK. 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  12. Shields, Joanna (2016-05-30). "'A crime scene of unspeakable horror': child sex abuse and the internet". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  13. "Fund". www.end-violence.org. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
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