NHRC forum calls for protecting children’s rights in digital world

Doha, Qatar: The Third National Forum for Human Rights, which opened in Lusail yesterday, stressed the need to develop a digital system that is more c...

Doha, Qatar: The Third National Forum for Human Rights, which opened in Lusail yesterday, stressed the need to develop a digital system that is more capable of protecting the rights and best interests of children, in a way that keeps pace with the rapid and changing growth in the digital world.

With over 600 participants including officials, experts, specialists, and students, the two-day forum is being held under the theme ‘Protecting Children’s Rights In A Secure Digital Environment-Challenges And Prospects For Empowerment and Protection’.

The event is organised by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) in partnership with the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Ministry of Social Development and Family, and the National Cyber Security and in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Transport H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister of Social Development and Family H E Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi, Minister of Municipality H E Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah, Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council H E Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti and President of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) and Chairperson of Qatar National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah.

Addressing the opening ceremony, H E Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad said that children are at a crossroads that requires wisdom in guidance, either by harnessing technological progress to serve humanity and advance societies or by being drawn into dangerous technical complexities that threaten ethics and disrupt the balance of societies and their development approach.