Sharon Girling, the IFFOR Policy Council Child Advocacy Stakeholder representative, was a speaker at the International Association of Internet (INHOPE.org) meeting in London on April 26. It was attended by member hotlines and safer Internet Centres personnel.
Ms. Girling explained the IFFOR mission and policy goals and its relationship with Top Level Domains (TLD) and registries including ICM Registry (see the presentation). Of most interest to the attendees was the IFFOR policy on online sexual child abuse and that ICM Registry had included in its CRS (Compliance Reporting System) a process to forward report of suspect abuse to the INHOPE hotlines.
Ms. Girling had a 30 year career in policing, specializing in the last ten years in addressing international Internet enabled paedophilia. Her contribution as a specialist investigator was recognized in 2004 by Her Majesty the Queen through her appointment as an Officer of the British Empire, for services to the Police and Public in the area of child protection and Internet investigations.
Her knowledge and experience have enabled her to be integral to the development of policy and legislation in this area and to advise governments. She has been directly involved in the establishment of policing units, including their capacity, staffing, capability and resources to tackle this issue, in more than 30 countries.
About INHOPE:
INHOPE is the International Association of Internet Hotlines with currently 40 Member Hotlines in 36 Countries. Its purpose is to support and enhance the performance of Internet Hotlines around the World; ensuring swift action is taken in responding to reports of illegal content including Child Sexual Abuse Material, making the Internet a safer place.