Responsibility of Governments and Mechanisms for Protecting Children's Rights in Cyberspace
Subject Areas : child rights
1 - Associate Professor and Faculty Member of Supreme National Defense University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Children, Cyberspace, Cyber Threats, Violation, International Documents,
Abstract :
The increasing development of cyberspace and the use of ICTs have had an effective role in the production, dissemination and transmission of information and have provided the community with access to online content. As such, cyberspace is an enabling tool to promote fundamental freedoms such as freedom of speech, freedom of access to information and an effective means of promoting human rights, however, at the same time it can provide the conditions for breach, violation or restriction of individual's rights. Amongst them, children's rights, as the most vulnerable segment of society, are often abused and invaded. In the contemporary world, children spend a great deal of time on educational, leisure and entertainment activities in cyberspace and online. In this space with the expanse of its domain, anonymity, the high speed, the lack of borders, the lack of mechanisms of government oversight, would have an intensive impact on the domain of users' cognition and perception and pose special risks to individuals, especially children and adolescents. Therefore, the rights of the child must be protected by governments, non-governmental organizations, civil institutions and other child affairs authorities. The main question of this study is what are the positive and negative obligations of governments to protect children in cyberspace under international customary law and internationally accredited documents? What technical, legal and structural mechanisms are available to protect children against online' damages? What has been the practice of governments and international institutions and civil society in protecting children's rights on the one hand and maintaining a free flow of information and freedom of expression on the other? To answer these questions, the researcher uses a descriptive method to provide a coherent legal framework for protecting children in cyberspace.
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