In collaboration with International Association of Internet Hotlines (INHOPE), the 'African Media Content Classification and Online Child Protection Conference' will examine issues from an African perspective and will host delegates from South Africa and other countries in the SADC region and sub-Saharan Africa.
The conference will seek to assess the growth potential of content distribution in Africa, as well as exploring risks in the area of child protection. It will draw lessons from international precedent and will look at South African research and interventions that have yielded positive results to date.
Content at the conference will be of great interest to child development specialists, government communication departments in Africa, media regulatory bodies, cyber safety specialists, and media specialists.
"Through this conference, the FPB seeks to harmonise interventions in South Africa and the SADC region that respond to protecting children across online platforms," says Themba P. Wakashe, CEO of the FPB.
The first day is themed 'Stolen innocence: how to protect children in the digital age', to be opened with a keynote address by the Minister of Communications, Faith Muthambi.
Sir John Carr OBE, who is a global authority on young people's use of the internet, will lead the day with an address. He is technical adviser to End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes International, expert adviser to the European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Online, and the UK's Children's Charities' Coalition on Internet Safety. The day will end with two round tables, chronicling the FPB's work in evolving from a censorship body to one that regulates content with the interests of South Africa's youth at heart.
The second day's theme is 'Africa's digital boom: a focus on Africa's ICT growth potential'. Speakers will include Dr Indra De Lanerolle of the Wits Link Centre, Ebele Okobi, Head of Public Policy at Facebook, Prof Carel van Aardt of University of South Africa MBR, and Lulamile Mohapi of Phila Interactive. Panel discussions during the afternoon will address child trafficking, child exploitation, online child protection and the security and privacy of personal data.
The final day will discuss content classification in Africa, with a balance between determining African values in media representation and classification, along with findings from the FPB's colleagues in similar organisations abroad. The final panel discussion of the conference will include delegates from select SADC countries, who will examine content classification in Africa.
Click here to register online, or contact Obakeng Maimane on az.gro.bpf@ecnerefnocpbf.
