In a collaborative effort with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Federation of Women's Associations of Türkiye (TKDF) has initiated the "Connect the Dots" project.
This initiative aims to raise social awareness against the digital abuse of children and formulate preventive policy recommendations to safeguard the well-being of the younger generation.
Canan Güllü, president of TKDF, discussed the "Child Abuse in Digital - Connect the Dots" project with Anadolu Agency (AA), emphasizing its role in combating child abuse.
Güllü highlighted the widespread support for the project from bar associations across the country, signaling a united front against not only violence toward women but also the escalating issue of cyberbullying and abuse against children.
Güllü drew attention to the enduring nature of digital content, emphasizing that data shared in the digital world remains accessible for many years, making it susceptible to misuse. She explained, "With our project, we will raise both social awareness about the risks posed by sharing children's information, photos, and videos in digital media."
TKDF, in collaboration with UNICEF, is engaged in ongoing discussions with Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, regarding the handling of content related to children that can persist in digital environments for an extended period.
As part of the project's implementation, TKDF has initiated work with the child rights offices of Izmir and Hakkari bar associations, with plans to extend these efforts to the Istanbul, Edirne and Gaziantep bar associations. Güllü pointed out the need to address content on platforms like TikTok that can potentially victimize children, stating, "We are in talks with TikTok to change the content procedure for such posts, and they also express their willingness to support our efforts."
Güllü underlined the importance of a swift response to child abuse-related content on social media platforms, stating, "The project will also prevent adults from contacting children on social media, such as video calls."
Additionally, the TKDF aims to implement an artificial intelligence-based system capable of detecting individuals' ages through eye recognition technology. The data collected within the framework of the project will be presented to the Ministry of Justice to advocate for stronger protective measures for children in the digital realm.
