Child Online Protection in UAE

Child Online Protection (COP) is an initiative established by the International Telecommunication Union in November 2008, supported by the United Nations Secretary - General, states and several international organizations.

COP is a project to protect children worldwide against cyber threats by providing legal, technical and organizational measures.

United Arab Emirates - being the pioneers of change and development in the Middle East - have maximized their efforts on both national and international levels to create a safe online platform for children.

On the International level, UAE hosted many summits such as VGT and #weprotect global summit and was awarded a permanent seat on the #WePROTECT Global Alliance International Advisory Board (IAB), in recognition of its security and police work in the field of child protection.

In June 2017, the UAE was elected to lead the international committee for Child Online Protection (COP)during the International Telecommunication Union(ITU) Conference in Geneva.

On the National level, the UAE government has issued several laws which guarantee the protection of children from all forms of exploitation and abuse under articles 29 and 37. In addition, a joint initiative was established between Aqdar Khalifa Empowerment Program for Students. This government program for students’ empowerment and awareness works alongside the Emirates Safer Internet Society (E-safe), a foundation for a safer online experience in the UAE, with a key focus on children.The joint initiative organized the safer internet day 2017, which reached more than 10,000 students across the country,in a vast campaign to raise awareness about internet safety.

Further, The Regulatory Authority (TRA) has established a Computer Emergency Response Team, which aims to support a safe cyber environment for the residents of the UAE. They also created SALIM, an Emirati character acting as a cybersecurity adviser,who provides tips to internet users on how to protect themselves against cyber threats, and by doing so guides them towards a safe cyber culture.