Protecting children online
The safety of children online is a major
priority for us and we work hard to combat child abuse on the
web.
We constantly monitor the web to identify sites professing
to accept Visa payments for online child abuse imagery and,
together with our members, we ensure merchants offering these
services have their agreements terminated.
In addition, Visa supports the efforts of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection
Centre (CEOP), a UK-based law enforcement agency that carries
out investigations worldwide to protect children. The centre also
has an educational function, offering parents and children advice
and information.
Visa has supported CEOP initiatives in Germany, Greece, Italy,
Poland, Romania and the UK. In 2009-2010 our focus will be on two
key projects:
- The ‘Thinkuknow’ education programme
which aims to educate young people, parents and carers about the
dangers children could face when using online and mobile
technology
- Building capacity and developing training initiatives in areas
that are known to be a base for criminals involved in the
commercial distribution of child abuse images.
Visa has also worked with other organisations to establish the
European Financial
Coalition against online child abuse, which tracks,
disrupts and aims to confiscate commercial gain made by those who
deal in the distribution of child abuse images.
More information
Visit our Corporate responsibility
section for more information about Visa Europe’s commitment to
protecting children online and our work with the CEOP.