World Telecommunication and Information Society Day marks the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on 17th May 1865. The Jamaican Government commends the International Telecommunication Union for the critical role that it has played in the development of information and communications technology.
With the passage of the Electronic Transactions Act in April 2007, the Government has been focussed on creating a knowledge based economy and providing universal service for all citizens. The specific projects to facilitate universal service include the (i) establishment of computer labs in schools under the E-learning Project; (ii) the implementation of Community Access Points utilising resources from the Universal Access Fund and the Information and Communications Technology Project and (iii) the establishment of a Broadband island wide network.
Through the availability of broadband services and these community access points, children now have greater access to Internet. This also puts them at risk given the various crimes that can be committed in cyberspace. The most prevalent of which are child molestation and exploitation. It is against this background that Jamaica embraces this year’s theme of “Protecting Children in Cyberspace”.
We celebrate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day with the knowledge that Government must establish the legal framework to protect the children. Therefore we have identified the Child Pornography Bill as a priority Bill. The Child Pornography Bill proposes to criminalise child pornography in Jamaica. It defines child pornography and prescribes activities in relation to the creation, possession, importation, exportation and distribution of child pornography. It provides that inciting or procuring a child, or using or allowing a child to be used for pornographic purposes be made an offence. This Bill will operate in conjunction with the Sexual Offences Bill and the Cyber Crime Bill.
On this important day, I encourage all Jamaicans to educate the children about the threats of the internet and also to monitor their activities. The same rules apply to the Internet super highway as the rules for your children on the road. They should be alert, be careful, do not talk to strangers and report suspicious activities to their parents or elders.
Our children are our future, so let us all unite to protect them in cyberspace and to promote the use of the internet for the greater good of Jamaica.
