Two current studies reveal an increase in sexualized violence in the digital environment. It is clear that users of digital services unintentionally come across sexual violence online at a young age and are thus either harmed themselves or have a potential tendency to become perpetrators themselves. Both consequences must be counteracted by prevention and deletion of such content.

The Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Map was created to compare and exchange knowledge on policy making and implementation in EU Member States on the themes and recommendations of the European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children. The fourth report of the series was released in May 2023.

ECPAT Germany, Innocence in Danger, the German Children's Fund and the Digital Opportunities Foundation presented their position on the EU draft regulation in a digital press conference on 4 April. In their joint statement, which is based on the questionnaire of the Digital Committee of the German Bundestag, the organisations explain in detail how the protection of children from sexualised violence online and the right to privacy of all users in the digital environment can be realised.

Stakeholders are invited to submit proposals to organize various types of sessions at the Internet Governance Forum until May 19, 2023 at 23:59 UTC

This guide sets out good practices by which professionals can respond constructively to the range of online risks of harm encountered by children in Europe.

To mark Safer Internet Day on 7 February 2023, Children's Rights.Digital and ECPAT Germany presented a new tool for identifying and preventing sexualized violence online. It enables providers and developers to assess the risks of their content and establish suitable countermeasures. It also provides educational professionals with valuable insights into the initiation and progression of such acts of violence in order to strengthen the safety of children and young people in the digital space. The tool is available for download and supports the integration of digital threats into existing protection concepts.

Summary of IGF materials: daily reports, interview with Jutta Croll, and session recordings.

The 17th Internet Governance Forum concluded on 2 December with a call to urgently connect the 2.7 billion who are unconnected by increasing infrastructure investment, fostering digital literacy, harnessing advanced technologies, and building a safe and secure digital space where fundamental human rights are realized.

Summary of Day 2 and 3

In 2019, the German government jointly submitted the 5th and 6th State Report, which was discussed before the Committee on the Rights of the Child in September 2022. Subsequently, the Committee published its so-called Concluding Observations