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Dive in to Hector's World! - UK's dedicated centre for tackling the sexual abuse of children launches new online safety programme for 5-7 year olds

CHILD EXPLOITATION AND ONLINE PROTECTION CENTRE News Release issued by The Government News Network on 8 May 2008

Children as young as five years old are the focus of a new online safety programme being launched today, Thursday 8th May 2008, by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre.

OFCOM research indicates that 59% of 5-7 year olds access the internet at home and that 21% do so unsupervised. Now building on the success of the organisation's Thinkuknow education initiative, which has already reached over 1.7 million children and young people between the ages of 8-16 years, the UK's Centre for tackling the sexual abuse of children is now reaching out to parents of much younger children with vital 'safety first' advice.

Hector's WorldTM comprises five state-of-the-art, animated episodes. It takes children on a journey with Hector and his friends as they explore issues such as personal information, trustworthiness, making positive choices online and how to be open with a trusted adult when they use the internet.

The animation has been adapted for a young UK audience following successful running of the programme in New Zealand and is backed up by a series of free resources available to parents and teachers via the dedicated CEOP education website - thinkuknow.co.uk. All materials have been developed in consultation with Becta and with teachers.

Jim Gamble is Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre and holds the ACPO lead for child protection in the UK:

"We know that children are now using the internet at an increasingly young age. Recent research, coupled with feedback from our own youth panel and our work with parents, show that children are exploring the online world from as young as five years old.

"Teachers have asked us for this material because it is never too early to start giving children 'safety first' messages: in the same way that we teach small children to cross the road safely, there is a need to ensure that young children learn good habits for a future life online. If we give them early lessons in a way that is engaging, relevant and fun, we can help to safeguard young children online not only now but well into the future.

"We are delighted that working in partnership with New Zealand's internet safety group, NetSafe, has enabled us to bring the inspirational and engaging characters from Hector's WorldTM to UK children. We hope that every primary school in the UK will open its doors to Hector's World for the benefit of all 5-7 year old students."

Liz Butterfield is Managing Director of Hectors WorldTM - a charitable subsidiary of NetSafe:

"Learning how to protect your personal information online is a fundamental skill for children today, especially considering the downward trend in the age children first access the internet. Hectors World offers the 'building blocks' of the skills and values children will need online".

Niel McLean, Executive Director of Institutional Workforce and Development at Becta, the government's education technology agency said:

"We face a careful balancing act when it comes to young people online - no matter what their age. We should definitely encourage their enthusiasm to embrace the opportunities the internet offers but we must also ensure that they explore and develop their skills in a safe way.

"CEOP's Hector's World programme is a welcome addition to the support and guidance surrounding e-safety that is currently available to parents, carers and teachers. It's vital that the work to educate children about the benefits of technology continues with innovative and engaging schemes such as this."

Notes to Editors

1. Hector's World is available at http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/hectorsworld <http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/hectorsworld>

2. The CEOP Centre is the UK's dedicated policing organisation focused on tackling the sexual abuse of children. It delivers a totally holistic approach combining as it does specialists from across UK and international police forces as well as the wider child protection community such as the NSPCC and industry such as Microsoft, SERCO, VISA, Ford, Vodafone, PayPal and Lexis Nexis.

3. Over the last year, CEOP has removed 131 children from sexual abuse, arrested 297 suspected child sex offenders, and processed around 1 million images of child sexual abuse. Since its launch in 2006, CEOP's ThinkUKnow education programme has reached 1.7 million children and young people between the ages of 8 and 16 years across all parts of the UK. (for further information see http://www.ceop.gov.uk/downloads/documents/ceopannualreview2008.pdf http://www.ceop.gov.uk/downloads/documents/ceopannualreview2008.pdf

4. About Becta: Becta leads the national drive to improve learning through technology. We do this by working with industry to ensure we have the right technology for education in place. We also support the education sector to make the best use of technology so that every learner in the UK is able to benefit from its advantages and achieves the best they can.

5. CHILD ABUSE IMAGES, NOT 'CHILD PORNOGRAPHY'

Use of the phrase 'child pornography' actually benefits child sex abusers:

a. It indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser

b. It conjures up images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse

Every photograph captures an actual situation where a child has been abused. This is not pornography.