The Ministry of Education and Children and the University of Iceland invite you to a seminar on the risk of sexual abuse of children using artificial intelligence and other technological innovations. New technology poses new challenges on how to protect children from online abuse. The seminar takes place on Friday, 25 October at 13:30-15:15 GMT in Veröld, Vigdís‘ house at Brynjólfsgata 1 in Reykjavík. There is also a live-stream.
More than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18. When ‘non-contact’ forms of sexual violence, such as online or verbal abuse, are included, the number of girls and women affected rises to 650 million globally – or 1 in 5. Although more girls and women are affected, and their experiences are better documented, boys and men are also impacted. An estimated 240 to 310 million boys and men – or around 1 in 11 – have experienced rape or sexual assault during childhood. This estimate rises to between 410 and 530 million when non-contact forms are included.
The seminar is in conjunction with the International Workshop on the Barnahús model, a child-friendly multidisciplinary and interagency (MDIA) response model for investigating and treating child abuse. Many countries have adopted the Barnahús model. The workshop aims to develop an International Agreement on the model.
The Workshop has attracted numerous renowned specialists in the field to develop and standardise the Barnahús model and make it available worldwide. The International Organization for Standardization runs the project in collaboration with Icelandic Standards and the Swedish Institute for Standards, SIS.
The Ministry of Education and Children in Iceland, which leads the initiative, and the University of Iceland have asked four leading specialists in the field to discuss the misuse of artificial intelligence and other technological innovations when it comes to sexual violence against children, how such crimes are committed, how they are dealt with and what preventive measures are being taken.
The seminar is open to the general public and offers free admission. It is particularly intended for specialists working in the field. Participants must register to attend before Thursday, 24 October.
Presentations will be held in English.
Please join us on-site for light refreshments from 13:00.
The moderator is Páll Magnússon, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Iceland in Geneva and Chair of ISO/IWA 49.