Rabat – Ways of protecting children from online exploitation were the focus of a communication day held on Thursday in Rabat, at the initiative of the National Commission for the Coordination of Measures to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Human Beings (CNCLT), on the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons and the United Nations “Blue Heart” Campaign.
Organised in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and with the support of the European Union under the theme “Let us make protecting our children from online exploitation a priority”, in line with the theme of this year’s United Nations campaign, “Leave no child behind in the fight against trafficking in persons”, this event forms part of the efforts made by the CNCLT to raise awareness of the dangers of trafficking for children and adolescents in the digital space, as part of the implementation of the National Plan to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Human Beings 2023-2030.
Speaking on this occasion, the Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, stressed that trafficking in human beings is among the most serious crimes against humanity and requires in-depth legal examination on the basis of specific texts, insisting on the importance of deepening training on the concept of trafficking in human beings.
Trafficking in human beings is one of the crimes that spread in step with the continuous development of new technologies such as social networks and AI, he explained, emphasising the need for heightened vigilance, for smart management of this crime and for the establishment of a legal framework capable of helping to combat this scourge, particularly among children.
For his part, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, warned against trafficking in human beings, in particular the online exploitation of children, which poses a major threat to the security and stability of society, stressing that the ministry plays an essential role in raising awareness among young people.
In a statement read on his behalf by the ministry’s Director of Childhood and Women’s Affairs, Kaoutar Mansouri, the Minister added that, as part of its commitment to combating this scourge, his department is mobilising its substantial infrastructure for youth, childhood and women’s affairs, citing the existence of 1,500 centres, including youth centres, holiday camps, women’s clubs and child protection centres.
For her part, the Vice-President of the National Observatory for the Rights of the Child (ONDE), Ghizlane Benjelloun, stressed the imperative, in the current context marked by the rapid growth of digital technology and children’s unrestricted access to the digital space, of combining efforts and coordinating the initiatives of national and international partners in the field of child protection.
Aware of the importance of protecting children from any risk of violation of their rights, and in line with the High Directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI aimed at protecting the rights of the child and the resolute commitment of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, President of the ONDE, the Observatory has undertaken several initiatives and activities aimed at proactively protecting, supporting and accompanying children in vulnerable situations, in harmony with the various related national strategies, in particular “the National Plan to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Human Beings”, Ms Benjelloun stated.
For her part, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Morocco, Nathalie Fustier, observed that this lucrative transnational crime constitutes a violation of human rights, causing immense suffering and an exorbitant human, social, security and economic cost, and pointed to the worrying evolution of this phenomenon in connection with the exploitation of digital technologies.
The Ambassador of the European Union to Morocco, Patricia Llombart Cussaca, indicated that this campaign aims to mobilise public opinion against trafficking in human beings and to encourage all citizens to become involved in and support the fight against this abominable crime, noting that some 27 million people worldwide are victims of this scourge.
She further noted that sexual exploitation, forced criminality, forced begging, forced marriage and labour exploitation are among the most common forms of abuse against children, observing that the digital sphere, as a new front, is leading to a worrying increase in cases of sexual exploitation of minors, including online.
The event featured the premiere screening of a film intended for children and their parents, the presentation of comic books on awareness-raising and the prevention of trafficking in human beings aimed at children, the handover of educational kits and a tribute to the partners of the “Blue Heart” Campaign.
