UN supports East Midlands’ Mep’s call for blocking on child abuse

Leading experts from the United Nations and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe have recently decreed that the blocking of websites containing images or other material of child abuse is a legitimate and justifiable practice.

The statement said that mandatory blocking of websites was an extreme measure but that it must be “justified in accordance with international standards, for example where necessary to protect children against sexual abuse.” This is a huge victory for child protection groups, such as the NSPCC, who have been calling for the EU to adopt legislative measures that would make the blocking of websites containing child abuse images mandatory.

The declaration comes in the middle of heated debate in the EU over whether to include blocking in new legislation that aims to tackle child abuse images on the internet. Members of the European Parliament, predominately German Members, have been incredibly vocal about their desire to see blocking erased from the negotiations. They argue that internet freedom must take precedence, and that blocking can in fact infringe upon human rights. Yet, global experts on freedom of expression support the blocking of websites containing child abuse images, in recognition of the appalling nature of this crime.

Sadly, rather than attempting to deal with the root causes of this horrifying crime, the debate about whether to block sites containing such material remains frustratingly predominant. Whilst the fact remains that BT Internet alone blocked over 14 million attempts to access websites containing this material last year, blocking does not stop the crime happening in the first instance.

Miss McClarkin commented:

“Combating child abuse online is something that the EU could collectively tackle and make a huge difference. Blocking is the quickest tool to stop access to child abuse images and prevent the victim being abused again and again whilst the images on the internet site remain active.

“Nobody is saying that blocking is 100% effective – the material can be shifted elsewhere, it doesn’t help to identify the victims or apprehend the criminals, and it doesn’t deal with areas of peer-to-peer transfer and file exchange.

“However, blocking is a quick and crucial short-term disruption tactic to obstruct access and, until deletion of websites can be performed quickly and effectively, blocking must be available as a tool in combating online child pornography.

“Whilst the child’s’ right to privacy and dignity goes unanswered and whilst criminals continue to have access to these images, we must recognise that those who support deletion and oppose blocking are providing an alibi for inaction. As parliamentarians we must, first and foremost, look to protect our children from this type of abuse.”