Sunday 28 January is the 17th annual Data Protection Day which signifies an international effort to empower individuals and businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust.
The Bailiwick’s data protection law regulator, the Office of the Data Protection Authority (ODPA) is marking this day by calling upon children, parents, schools and all other bodies who care about children’s data to contribute to an open public consultation.
The public consultation forms an important part of developing a comprehensive ‘Children’s Framework’ to support the responsible use of children’s information. The framework reflects the legal requirements in the Bailiwick and will align with the relevant principles in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The ODPA seeks to promote and protect children’s rights through its dedicated outreach programme ‘Project Bijou Seeds’. The priority of protecting children forms part of the ODPA’s strategic plan and statutory obligation to raise children’s awareness of their rights, and to understand their responsibilities to others. Project Bijou Seeds involves in-school sessions for children in Year 4, and for young people in Years 8 and 10. The ODPA published a children’s book, Warro , in September 2023 with the aim of educating and empowering children as they navigate the world of data.
The Bailiwick’s Data Protection Commissioner, Brent Homan (pictured) commented: “As Nelson Mandela said ‘There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.’
“The Bailiwick treasures its children and can be a model worldwide by elevating safeguards around our children and young people. The next generations are owed all the legal protections that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child promises them. It is essential that young people are included in discussions about how data about them is handled – which is why we’re asking them to contribute to our public consultation.”
