Launch of DiGi CyberSAFE Programme

Smart collaboration between Ministry of Education, CyberSecurity Malaysia, Childline Malaysia and DiGi to advocate a secure, family-friendly Internet experience

Kuala Lumpur, 15 November 2011: Ministry of Education, DiGi Telecommunications, CyberSecurity Malaysia, and Childline Malaysia today launched the DiGi CyberSAFE Programme, a nationwide outreach campaign aimed at raising the awarenesss of child safety on the Internet.

The main thrust of the DiGi CyberSAFE Programme is a series of educational workshops that will be conducted at schools and community broadband centers around the country. The target is to reach out to more than 5,000 students by September 2012. The DiGi CyberSAFE Programme looks to spread the knowledge and equip students, parents and teachers with tools to enable a family friendly internet experience.(Left to Right) :1. Ms Wong Poai Hong – Childline Project Director
2. Mr Harjeet Singh – KPWKM Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (KPWKM) Timbalan Ketua Setiausaha (Deputy Secretary-General for the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development)
3. Henrik Clausen – DiGi CEO
4. YBhg Dr Khair bin Mohamad Yusof, Deputy Director General (Policy and Educational Development), Ministry of Education Malaysia
5. YBhg Lt Col ® Prof Dato’ Husin Jazri, CEO of CyberSecurity Malaysia
6. Yellow Man
7. Pn Rosnani Binti Mohamed Ali – Pengarah Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (Director of Educational Technology Division, Ministry of Education Malaysia)

YB Dr. Mohd Puad Zarkashi, Deputy Minister of Education in his speech said, “MOE is very grateful that DiGi and CyberSecurity have come forward as partners to scale up and extend the reach of our Cybersafe programme which serves to reach out to our students, teachers and parents at the grassroots nationwide. This is a perfect example of how the public and private sectors can and should come together in addressing a key issue affecting the nation. I would also like to acknowledge Childline for coming on board to enrich this programme further by extending the 15999 Childline to online child safety issues.” His speech was read by Dr Khair Mohamad Yusof, Deputy Director General (Policy).

Speaking at the launch, Henrik Clausen CEO of DiGi said, "As accessibility to the Internet increases both at home and school, we have a responsibility to ensure we create a family-friendly Internet experience for our children. DiGi has an ambition to enable Internet for All, giving people from all walks of life the opportunity to reap the full potential of the Internet for personal and social economic development. With the increasing rate of cyber crimes particularly targeting children, we want to mobilise an online community, particularly younger generation, that is aware of safety and privacy issues, and are adequately protected against the possible dangers on the net.”
- Lesson in action - Dr Khair guiding students through the CyberSafe Programme website

Emphasizing on the need to step up efforts to address safety on the net, YBhg Lt Col (R) Prof Dato’ Husin Jazri, Chief Executive Officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia said, “Knowing Malaysian children spend an average of 19 hours on the Internet a week layered with the fact that cyber security incidents reported to the Cyber999 Help Center charted a 112% increase from Jan – Oct this year compared to the same period in 2010, calls for an urgent need to elevate awareness and put in place action plans to mitigate the situation. We are pleased to have partnered with DiGi to scale up our efforts; allowing more Malaysians to benefit from the workshop and a holistic outreach programme. This is a good example of how we have effectively worked together with the private sector and collectively champion a critical issue affecting the nation.”

Going beyond raising awareness, the DiGi CyberSAFE Programme’s partnership with Childline Malaysia means that children facing issues online have an avenue for help via 15999 Childline, a 24-hour telephone helpline for children. Trustee of Childline Malaysia, Pn. Norwati Razak Sabri, encouraged children to call for help when faced with an unpleasant experience. “This programme is not only about making children aware of the dangers online. It is also about empowering children to realise that they themselves play a big role in protecting themselves, and that there is someone out there who can help them if they run into trouble.”
Going by the book - DiGi Yellowman and school kids with the Family Friendly Internet Guide

The DiGi CyberSAFE Programme is a half-day workshop involving talks and interactive sessions focusing on:
• Identifying the risks and threats online: cyberbullying, cyber stalking, identity theft, child pornography and cyber grooming.
• Learning for children: things to know while chatting, social networking habits, tips to stay safe.
• Guides for parents: ways of creating a safe computing environment.
• Awareness of Helpline and assistance: Childline 15999 that is accessible via call and email.

In advocating children’s safety when using the Internet, DiGi together with programme partners recently launched a guidebook for parents and caregivers to spread awareness and tips on the best ways to create a safer internet experience for children. This was launched at the recent national Seminar on Child Online Protection by the Minister of Women, Family & Community Development.

For more information on the DiGi CyberSafe Programme, please visit (www.cybersafe.my/dcp).