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B.C. PARENTS TO RECEIVE GUIDES TO KEEP KIDS SAFE
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VICTORIA – Through a partnership between the Province and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, all B.C. public, independent and band schools will soon receive and distribute parents’ guides that will help children stay safe online, Education Minister Shirley Bond and Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General John Les announced on Safer Internet Day.
“We discussed the issue of cyber bullying and screen safety at our recent Parent Congress,” said Bond. “The Province recognizes the importance of ensuring that children are safe when they are using the Internet, and we will continue to work with parents, schools and partner groups to achieve this goal.”
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has developed three guides about safety and the Internet for parents of children aged 8 and 9, 10 to 12 and 13 to 15. The guides will help parents understand what their children may be doing while online, including sections on Internet language, risk factors, healthy development and personal safety, and quick facts about children’s online interests.
“It’s time that we empower parents with strategies to reduce their child’s chances of being victimized,” said Lianna McDonald, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. “Parents will really benefit from having this hands-on tool to better understand the variety of risks that children are faced with on the Internet.”
As more and more families use computers in their homes, the threat of cyber stalking, bullying and safety issues also increases. According to results from several Canadian polls and reports conducted over the past three years:
· In homes without rules about Internet usage, 74 per cent of children report that an adult is never present when they use the Internet, and 21 per cent of children report having met someone in person whom they first met online. (Erin Research 2005)
· Children account for 61 per cent of all victims of sexual assault reported to the police and 21 per cent of all victims of physical assault. (Statistics Canada 2003)
· 72 per cent of Canadians feel that if someone wanted to access child pornography online, it would be very easy to do so. (Pollara 2005)
“According to these polls, most Canadian parents are using outdated and ineffective information to teach their children about personal safety,” said Les. “The new Safety and the Internet guides will give parents up-to-date information and tools so they can do what it takes to keep their children safe.”
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is launching the Safety and the Internet parent guides online today as part of Safer Internet Day, an annual international event organized by Insafe, the European internet safety network. The Ministry of Education will cover the costs of distributing the printed guides to B.C. schools.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is a charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children. The centre operates two core national programs, Cybertip.ca and Kids in the Know. Cybertip.ca is Canada’s tipline for reporting online sexual exploitation of children, while Kids in the Know is a comprehensive education program that teaches children personal safety strategies to prevent abduction and sexual exploitation.
The Ministry of Education and Virtual School Society recently launched LearnNow BC’s Parent Information Network as part of the second annual Parent Congress, where more than 130 parents from around the province shared their vision for the future of education. The Parent Information Network contains resources for parents on health and safety, including cyber bullying, and can be accessed online through www.learnnowbc.ca.
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Ministry of Education 250 356-5963 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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