International conference on sexual exploitation of children starts today

Kolkata: The West Bengal Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) and International Justice Mission (IJM) announced the hosting of the first International Conference on "Sexual Exploitation of Children in a Digital Era". The two-day conference, first of its kind in India, will be held on December 14 and 15 in Kolkata.

The logo of the International Conference on "Sexual Exploitation of Children in a Digital Era" was also unveiled by Ananya Chakraborti, Chairperson, WBCPCR, Government of West Bengal and Saji Philip, Director of Operations, IJM Kolkata, on the occasion.

Senior police officials from six countries, government representatives, prosecutors and judges from 15 countries like Germany, Uganda, Canada, Kenya, USA, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India among others will participate.

Representatives from leading multi-national corporates including Facebook, Deloitte, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Chairpersons from State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and Chairpersons of Women Commission nationally will also take part in the event. The conference aims to gather key stakeholders to analyse, discuss and recommend convergent strategies on combating the critical issue of child abuse perpetrated

by technology. The recommendations accrued from the conference will be submitted to the governing bodies globally. Global trends indicate that criminals are using the power of modern technology to exploit children. These trends include trafficking, buying and selling of children for sex, life porn, etc. The key discussions in the conference include four panel sessions — trends, challenges, bridges and solutions.

Some of the key speakers will be Krishna Sastry Pendyala, Executive Director, Advisory Cyber Security & Forensic Technology Services, PwC, India, experts from UNICEF, Dr PM Nair, IPS, Chair Professor, TISS, and Brital Bhardwaj, Regional CISO, Leader, GE.