Dame Jonathan Tasks Internet Users On Child Protection At ITU Telecom World 2013
The International Telecommunications Union, ITU Telecom World 2013 opened in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday with the First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan challenging internet users across the world to exhibit ethical online attributes capable of helping growing children and youths of the society become better leaders in the future.
Mrs. Jonathan was the only woman in the midst of many dignitaries including ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré, Minister for Information and Communication Technology of Thailand Group Captain Anudith Nakornthap, China Mobile President and CEO Mr Yue Li, Chairman of Ooredoo Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission of Thailand (NBTC) Air Chief Marshal Thares Punsri, and President of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) Mr Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, who declared the event open .
Speaking in her capacity as ITU Child online protection Champion and special guest at the Leaders Lunch forum segment of the event, sponsored by Nigeria, Mrs. Jonathan said that Nigeria has put so many strategies in place to ensure that the Nigerian child does not go astray on the Internet.
She described her appointment by ITU as child online protection champion as a call to protect innocent children of the world from the harmful activities on the online space and challenged everybody to heed the call in their own ways.
Jonathan declared that since her appointment she has set out different initiatives including constituting committees and stakeholders meeting, seminars, workshops among other things geared towards identifying risks online, creating awareness of risks online and developing tools to eliminate risks online for the children.
She also promised that her group, with the support of the Nigerian government would continue to raise international awareness and advocacy to protect children online.
Earlier, the ITU Secretary General, Dr Toure described the First Lady as the most active woman in protecting children online, challenging her to use her position as the leader of African First Ladies, to get others involved as child online protecting was becoming the greatest challenge as the world was moving into the next phase of digital era.