Children Present Human Rights Report To UN

A children’s report on the state of human rights in Iceland has been presented to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, Vísir reports.

The report was prepared with the help of children and young people across Iceland in order to meet the aims of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child; that the children have a say in the decisions that concern them.

During the presentation, concerns were raised about sexual abuse online, and lack of faith in the judiciary system to deal with such cases. The need for more sex education and internet safety education to help children protect themselves was also highlighted.

Soffía Kristjánsdóttir, who took part in the work, says, “It is difficult to keep track of what is happening online and we feel that we have to educate people. Young people and children need to be educated about the dangers of the internet and how they can demonstrate responsible use of the internet and social media.”

The authors of the report interviewed Sólborga Guðbrandsdóttir, who started the Instagram page Fávitar. She receives several inquiries daily from children who have experienced online sexual harassment. “The youngest child who has come to me is 11 years old and many children in primary school have called and asked for advice.”

“Most often these are sexual messages, sexual descriptions, unsolicited sexual images, children being offered prostitution and threats to distribute nudity,” says Sólborg.

The authors of the report say that there is obviously a huge lack of sex education and that children have placed great emphasis on it.

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