Joint letter welcoming General comment No. 25

In this joint letter, 5Rights and 7 other organisations welcome the adoption of General comment No. 25.

Today’s adoption signals the first time children’s digital experiences are mentioned within the CRC, and marks a historic moment for all those working to protect children on the internet. As partners, we are jointly issuing this statement because we share a vision of how children’s rights can and should be implemented and monitored in digital environments. We believe the adoption of the General Comment is a groundbreaking step to getting there.

General comment 25 not only raises awareness of the risks children face online, but also places responsibility on countries and businesses to take action to address those risks. It targets key stakeholders to acknowledge the importance of child rights in digital environments. And, it reaffirms the foundational principles of children’s rights, including their right to protection from abuse, exploitation and other forms of violence on the internet.

At a time when international cooperation on children’s digital safety is more important than ever, General comment 25 provides a tool to help achieve precisely that.