EDINBURGH COUNCILLORS CALL FOR IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE
We are horrified by the situation unfolding in Gaza, and are calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the blockade of Gaza to allow urgent and unconditional food, water, fuel and medical supplies to enter the area.
Under international law collective punishment is illegal, as is blockading food, medicine and fuel supplies to the civilian population, and we therefore recognise the actions of the Israeli Government to be war crimes.
We condemn the killing and hostage taking of Israeli civilians by Hamas; the ongoing blockade of Gaza and occupation of the West Bank by Israel, deemed illegal by the United Nations; and the killing of Palestinians by the current Israeli blockade, bombardment, and ground offensive into Gaza.
We call for the immediate release of all hostages, and safe passage for Palestinians and others seeking to leave Gaza and the West Bank, with a commitment that they will be able to return.
We recognise Israel’s actions towards Palestine as apartheid, in line with human rights experts such as Amnesty International and call for an end to the occupation of Palestine.
We assert that all forms of racism, including anti-Palestinian racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia have no place in our city and condemn any attacks on Palestinian, Jewish or Muslim people.
We welcome the demonstrations of support for an end to violence and freedom for Palestinians which we have seen across the city, the UK and the world.
As councillors in Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city, we recognise the power our collective voices can have, and support calls for immediate action to secure a lasting and just peace for Palestinians and Israelis, with freedom and security for all, based on international law.
Signed:
Alys Mumford Scottish Green Party Ben Parker Scottish Green Party Susan Rae Scottish Green Party Claire Miller Scottish Green Party Alex Staniforth Scottish Green Party Jule Bandel Scottish Green Party Kayleigh O’Neill Scottish Green Party Steve Burgess Scottish Green Party Chas Booth Scottish Green Party Dan Heap Scottish Green Party Ross McKenzie Independent Katrina Faccenda Scottish Labour Margaret Graham Labour and Co-operative Party Amy McNeese-Mechan Scottish National Party Norman Work Scottish National Party Lesley Macinnes Scottish National Part
The Lammermuir Festival 2023 came to a close this week while urgently working to secure its future.
Nicola Benedetti and Sir James MacMillan add their support for Lammermuir Festival.
Open Letter to Creative Scotland signed by 362 musicians, composers, educationalists, politicians, participants, supporters, audience members and local businesses.
The Lammermuir Festival closed its 14th festival earlier this week, one of its most successful yet. The programme was met with great acclaim cited by some music critics as the best programme presented.
Audiences flocked with over 80% of tickets sold, over 30% of which were to new customers. Initial analysis indicates that a little over half of those audiences were local with the remaining travelling to East Lothian to enjoy one of the UK’s best loved classical music events.
This successful edition was set against the backdrop of the festival finding out just days before it opened that Creative Scotland was not supporting its 14th festival, having invested in the event for thirteen years.
Losing the cultural funder’s support this year leaves the festival in an urgent financial position, working hard to find a secure future.
Many of Scotland’s leading musicians have lent their support to the festival’s campaign, most recently Nicola Benedetti and Sir James MacMillan.
Nicola Benedetti said: “Being able to share the best, world-class music making with audiences not residing in our cities but in rural areas is a really important part of our nation’s cultural fabric.
“An aspect we must support and nurture. The Lammermuir Festival has done this brilliantly over the last 14 festivals creating acclaimed events that also enable young artists to develop in the industry, and engage young people in the region to give them deep and extraordinary experiences.
“It would be tragic for Scotland’s music scene if this festival wasn’t supported to continue this work which benefits so many.”
An Open Letter to Creative Scotland has been signed by 362 musicians, composers, education workers, participants, supporters, audience members and local businesses including Steven Obsorne, Andrea Baker, Sean Shibe, Stuart MacRae, Dinis Sousa, Ryan Corbett, Sue Baxendale, Craig Hoy MSP, Douglas Alexander, Martin Brabbins, Sian Edwards, Ruth Ellis, Monica Wilkinson and Alfonso Leal del Ojo.
James Waters, Chief Executive and Joint Artistic Director of the Lammermuir Festival said: “The support and affection for Lammermuir Festival that we have seen pouring in from musicians, education providers, local businesses, supporters and audiences across Scotland and beyond has been incredible.
“We have never been more proud of the festival and what it brings to so many and we will continue to do everything we can to secure its future.”
Letter from supporters of Lammermuir Festival
To Iain Munro, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland and its Chair, Robert Wilson,
We the undersigned appeal to you to save what one audience member has described as a ‘precious jewel of originality and joy’.
According to the panels judging Open Fund applications at Creative Scotland, Lammermuir Festival does not sufficiently align to your priorities.
This is despite having the full support of the Music Officers at Creative Scotland who approved its application and strongly recommended funding without conditions.
This is one of the most acclaimed classical music festivals in the UK, recipient of an RPS award, the highest accolade in its field, and giving work to 350 musicians a year, many of them Scottish. It has a proven record of achievement, appeals to ever-growing audiences and supports performers at all stages in their careers.
It is also a festival which returns £750,000 in economic benefits for East Lothian, on top of its social and cultural benefits, bringing visitors to a region which is underserved for arts, offering audiences international quality music performances and participation opportunities.
If the festival were to not exist, neither would its work with McOpera which engaged 1,700 children, young people and adults as participants and audience through their outreach strand over the last two years. This proved a formative part of so many young musicians’ lives in East Lothian.
This strand of the festival’s work reached out to multiple and diverse local community groups, nurturing children and young people from across 31 different schools, supporting the growth of an Instrumental Music Service and creative organisations (such as Dunbar Voices), bringing to the region international conductors and Scottish creatives, composers, singers and instrumentalists.
It has also regularly provided career placements to students from Edinburgh College, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier Universities, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
This decision by Creative Scotland flies in the face of the expressions of support for culture in Scotland, and in particular for festivals, that the First Minister Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Neil Gray, and Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson have made in recent days.
The Open Fund process appears to have no strategic overview of provision, and no clear artistic, quality or geographic priorities.
Your process places huge pressure on organisations. Lammermuir Festival was invited to make multiple applications for the same activity with funding decisions taking their nerves to the wire – in this case Creative Scotland passed their verdict on a third application just 16 days before the festival started.
The system needs to change. As it stands it places Scotland’s cultural ecology on a downward trajectory.
Without Creative Scotland’s support the Lammermuir Festival’s future is under threat. Your decision not to fund the 2023 festival, destabilises the organisation and undermines the festival’s ability to plan for or run a festival in 2024 and beyond. In order to secure the future of this festival beyond 2023, urgent support is needed.
As musicians, educators, audience members, supporters, participants, businesses in East Lothian, and community leaders we are utterly appalled at your decision and urgently appeal to Creative Scotland to reverse it in order to save this cultural gem.
This festival cannot be allowed to disappear.
362 signatures which can be viewed on the Lammermuir Festival website:
Hundreds of attendees and performers at the Edinburgh festivals have signed a letter calling on First Minister Humza Yousaf to speak out against the controversial Rosebank oil field.
Activists spoke to visitors from around the world during the festival about the Scottish Government’s failure to clearly oppose the Rosebank field despite the climate harm it will cause.
The letter to Yousaf is signed by well known comedians such as Frankie Boyle, award nominee Julia Masli and Scottish actor Tam Dean Burn, as well as hundreds of visitors. The letter says “the time for sitting on the fence is long past” and his failure to speak out risks “becoming a tacit approval for these projects.”
There is a growing cross-party consensus that the Rosebank project should not go ahead, with Nicola Sturgeon, UK Labour, the Scottish Greens and the Chair of official advisors at the UK Committee on Climate Change all speaking out against the development. When the Scottish Government finally publicly opposed the Cambo oil field in 2021, Shell paused it soon afterwards.
Campaigners believe that the Scottish Government’s opposition would put further pressure on the UK Government to reject the application to drill the field. The First Minister has stated that he is “not convinced” that the Rosebank project should be given the green light, but he has not yet opposed the project outright.
Scottish actor Tam Dean Burn who performed in the immersive theatre show “Revelations of Rab McVie” commented: “As well as hosting the fringe, Scotland is home to a massively polluting North Sea oil and gas industry so what happens with that matters to all of us.
“The eyes of the world are on Scotland to see how it can safely and swiftly transition to an energy system powered by renewables instead. More fossil fuels anywhere are taking us all in the wrong direction.”
Julia Masli is an Estonian-born, UK based clown who was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award this year for her show ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha where she solves the audience’s problems. She said: “This is a big problem that requires immediate solution.”
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s oil and gas campaigner Freya Aitchison said: “People come to Edinburgh from all over the world to perform at and attend the Fringe, and from the outside it looks like Scotland is a green and forward-thinking place. From hundreds of conversations in the streets last month, it’s clear that people are frustrated that in reality the Scottish Government doesn’t always live up to this reputation.
“The Scottish Government needs to get off the fence and oppose the climate disaster that is the Rosebank oil field. For too long, they have been dodging the issue and it is time the First Minister gave a clear answer to those asking whether he thinks the development should go ahead.
“Approving new fossil fuel projects will do nothing to lower energy prices, meanwhile burning oil and gas is fuelling the extreme weather we see on every continent which is killing people and destroying lives. Every oil and gas development approved now takes us further away from a fair and fast transition to renewable energy.“
Rosebank is the biggest undeveloped oil field in UK waters containing an estimated 500 million barrels of oil. Burning this oil will produce more climate pollution than dozens of countries do each year. Its developer, the Norwegian oil giant Equinor, is set to receive a tax break of £3.75 billion from the UK Government if the Rosebank project gets the green light.
Over 500 people signed the open letter to Humza Yousaf which can be read at:
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has written to teachers, education leaders and staff across Scotland setting out her priorities for the sector.
These include reforming education for the benefit of all learners, and continuing to close the poverty-related attainment gap.
The letter reads:
To Scotland’s teachers and school leaders,
It is a great honour to have been appointed to the role of Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills. As you may know, I spent a decade working in education before entering politics. I recognise first-hand how dedicated and committed our teachers and support staff are to giving our children and young people the best opportunities to succeed in life.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a sharp reminder of just how important education is to our communities. I know how challenging it was for our young people – just as I know how challenging it was for our teachers and staff in school. I want to thank you all for your hard work and professionalism throughout that time. You stepped up when Scotland’s young people needed you most. Thank you.
We need to now focus on rebuilding, together, for the benefit of Scotland’s children and young people – and I firmly believe that post-pandemic we have a unique opportunity to do so.
There are many strengths in our education system which we must use as our foundation; equally I know of the challenges that the Covid legacy has created in our classrooms and school communities. I want to work with you on how we can address those challenges and opportunities together.
Undeniably, we are at a crucial point in setting out the future through a comprehensive programme of education reform. The National Discussion on Education and the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment (Hayward Review) will conclude soon. This work includes the reform of our national bodies as we work to establish the new agencies.
These new organisations will need to work better to meet the needs of our young people – but they also need to work better to support you, our educators.
The educational landscape which existed when the Scottish Attainment Challenge launched in February 2015 is markedly different. The cost of living crisis has deepened inequity; but it further necessitates our relentless focus on closing the poverty related attainment gap.
High quality learning and teaching is crucial to help disrupt the impact of poverty in our education system. Our schools have a key role to play in driving ambition and attainment; through promoting a culture of high expectations and excellence for all. Excellent teachers are fundamental to that endeavour – I want to make sure you have the necessary support and opportunity to fulfil that expectation.
Furthermore, I am committed to delivering excellence and equity in school education through empowering and supporting our teaching profession and putting learners’ needs at the centre. We will ensure that teachers and practitioners across the education system can access the high-quality support and professional learning they need. Our new national education bodies will be central to this, with clear roles and responsibilities to support this work collaboratively across the sector.
Scottish education is at an important juncture. The future for Scotland’s next generation depends on those of you who work in our education system. From our school janitors to our secretaries in school offices; from our catering staff to our Headteachers; from our classroom support assistants to our teachers – all of you make up the myriad of support provided to Scotland’s children and young people in our schools. All of you are valued.
As the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, I am committed to working with you to make sure the next steps on reform deliver real improvements, with partnership with our teaching profession as my guiding principle.
I look forward to working with you all, for the benefit of Scotland’s children and young people.
Following the election of Humza Yousaf as SNP leader and his swearing in as First Minister, dentist leaders in Scotland have called for immediate action to ensure the beleaguered service has a future.
The leadership election has delayed the timetable for reform of the low margin/high volume system dentists work to, that has left providers facing the risk of delivering NHS care at a financial loss. In an open letter the British Dental Association has stressed that without immediate action the exodus from NHS dentistry will accelerate.
A recent survey of high street dentists across Scotland showed over half (59%) have reduced the amount of NHS work they do since lockdown, and four in five (83%) say they plan to reduce or further reduce their NHS commitment in the year ahead.
In the letter BDA’s Scottish leadership state: “In 2021 the SNP made a promise to the Scottish electorate: free NHS dentistry for all. The decisions you take in your first 100 days will effectively determine if that promise is going to be kept.”
First Minister says “Scotland is your home for as long as you need it to be”
Ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Friday 24 February, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has issued an open letter to Ukrainians in Scotland and across the world.
The letter reads:
It is with great sadness that the world will mark the first anniversary of Russia’s latest illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on Friday.
On this day, we will all pause to reflect on the many impacts of the war on the people of Ukraine. In particular, we will mourn those who have lost their lives.
Every day in Ukraine, lives are disrupted and in danger. There are almost daily reports of atrocities, including Russia’s barbaric missile attacks against civilians.
Our hearts go out to all Ukrainians, including those who have settled here in Scotland and in other countries. I know how much you fear for the safety of loved ones back home, and yearn to return to your own country and way of life.
All of us wish a speedy victory for Ukraine and a resolution which restores peace and ensures Ukrainian sovereignty, democracy, independence and territorial integrity. We also hope that those displaced by the war can return and be reunited with their families, friends, communities and country.
I hope all of you, amidst your anxiety and suffering, have been heartened by the scale of the international humanitarian response since the invasion.
Scotland has so far welcomed more than 23,000 Ukrainians into our communities, the majority of which arrived through our super sponsor scheme. The national response is unprecedented and we have worked closely with partners, local authorities and community groups to offer our Ukrainian friends a ‘Warm Scottish Welcome’.
It is vital that we continue to support displaced people from Ukraine for as long as they need help. While I hope those of you who want to return to Ukraine can do so safely when you can, my message to those seeking sanctuary remains clear: Scotland is your home for as long as you need it to be.
The EIS has commenced targeted strike action within the constituencies of key politicians with the ability to resolve the ongoing pay dispute.
Teachers in Glasgow Southside (Nicola Sturgeon), Perthshire North (John Swinney), Dunfermline (Shirley-Anne Somerville), and the East Dunbartonshire part of Clydebank & Milngavie (Ross Greer) have started 3-days of consecutive strike action, as the dispute over teacher pay intensifies.
Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “Today’s intensification of strike action is a direct result of the failure of the Scottish Government and COSLA to deliver an acceptable pay offer to Scotland’s teachers.
“As a result, this intensified strike action is targeted directly at the politicians with the ability to deliver a better pay offer that can end this pay dispute – just as is happening in Health. Teachers do not want to be on strike, but the fact that they are is an indictment on politicians within the Scottish Government and COSLA who have the authority to deliver a better pay deal, but have failed to do so.
“Parents and students have every right to be angry at the fact that local and national politicians continue to collude in withholding a fair settlement from Scotland’s teachers. This is another part of the chronic underfunding of Education both by national and local government in spite of the claims that Education is a number one priority in this country.”
Ms Bradley added, “In response to requests from our members, I have now also now written to members in the Secondary sector with guidance in relation to entering into voluntary arrangements for the marking of SQA exam papers.
“While the marking of SQA exams papers is a voluntary activity and is therefore not part of our dispute with employers, many members have expressed an unwillingness to sign up as SQA markers while this pay dispute is ongoing.
“Having taken legal advice on this matter, the EIS can confirm that our members are absolutely within their rights to decline or delay signing up as SQA markers while the pay dispute remains unresolved. It is entirely a matter for each member to decide if they wish, or do not wish, to enter into a voluntary agreement with the SQA to mark exam scripts.”
Ms Bradley concluded, “The EIS remains, as ever, available for discussions with the Scottish Government and COSLA for further talks towards a negotiated settlement on teachers’ pay.
“Our members want to be in the classroom, and strike action can be halted immediately by the delivery of a suitably improved offer that could credibly be recommended to our members.”
Industrial action in schools: an open letter to learners
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Shirley-Anne Somerville outlines support for pupils during industrial action, particularly for those preparing for exams:
Dear Learner,
I would like to reassure you that I am doing everything I can to resolve the pay dispute with the teaching unions and bring an end to industrial action. I know the disruption caused by strikes will be a particular worry for those of you who are preparing for exams.
I have written to councils asking them to consider how secondary schools can remain open on strike days for learners preparing for exams. This is decided by councils on a school by school basis and you and your family will hear directly if your school can be open for you on future strike days.
As was the case during the pandemic, a wide range of study support is available through the National e-Learning offer (NeLO) which you can access when schools are closed. This includes thousands of live, recorded and other online resources that support learning and revision. I have set out below the wider support package that is in place to help you prepare for your exams.
We are also continuing to work with partners, including the SQA and councils, on contingencies for the exams themselves, should industrial action continue.
We very much hope, however, that the pay dispute will be resolved soon and that these contingencies will not be required.
The Scottish Government, our agencies and your council will continue to do everything we can to support you in the run up to and during the exam diet.
Support throughout the year
The NeLO site offers a searchable database of nearly 25,000 senior phase resources for learners across hundreds of courses. This includes over 3,000 recorded lessons, created by Scottish teachers. Learners in all 32 local authorities access NeLO regularly.
In addition, there are a wide range of offers from local authorities and the Regional Improvement Collaboratives, often with partners. For example:
East Dunbartonshire and Glasgow offers live and recorded resources for BGE and senior phase learners as part of West Online School (WestOS) which is also part of the National e-Learning Offer
Fife Digital Consortia offers online support for some subjects
South West Connects offers learners in Dumfries and Galloway access to live and recorded resources for senior phase learns in some subject areas
Easter study support
As was the case last year – as part of NeLO – live, interactive Easter Study Support webinars for Senior Phase pupils will run from 3 to 14 April. Webinars will be available to support learners with 80 different qualifications across 30 subjects. The offer includes courses at SCQF levels 4-7 (National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher). Letters were sent to Directors of Education informing them of the offer on 21 February and registration will be launched for learners on 1 March.
Exam support
Modifications to the 2022 National Qualifications are being continued in the 2023 academic session. SQA have issued the ‘Your National Qualifications‘ booklet, and will include study and exams tips in the ‘Your Exams’ booklet in mid-March. Recognising the continued impact of COVID the SQA, has confirmed a sensitive, evidence-based approach to grading this year which will benefit learners.
Hourglass have delivered an open letter to PM Rishi Sunak calling on the Government to urgently provide funding parity for older victim survivors and fund their unique 24/7 helpline
Hourglass have submitted an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed by politicians from across the political spectrum. The letter calls for the government to provide urgent financial support for the Hourglass helpline which provides 24/7 support and casework for older victim-survivors of abuse.
The open letter has been signed by MPs, Peers, MLAs, MSPs, MSs, academics, third sector leaders and other community supporters. Members of every major political party in the UK have supported this campaign, either by signing this letter or by contacting the Prime Minister directly asking the Government to support the Hourglass helpline.
Hourglass not only provides a 24/7 helpline, the only one of its kind in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but also creates tailored care plans for older victim survivors using caseworkers across the UK. The charity income plummeted in 2022 whilst cases have dramatically risen.
In 2022 the Hourglass helpline has seen a 96% increase in calls. Many of these calls are referrals from government and third sector agencies who rely on Hourglass as specialists in supporting older victims.
Despite this, government support for the helpline and casework service provided by Hourglass has declined. The charity is now bidding for funds from a Violence Against Women and Girls tender, which misses a significant swathe of its work.
Richard Robinson, Chief Executive of Hourglass, said:“The Hourglass helpline and case work service plays a critical role in supporting older people who have experienced abuse. This is a truly unique service and ensures older people can have hope during their darkest times.
“During the Conservative Party leadership campaign, the Ready for Rishi campaign promised that if elected a Rishi-led government would engage with organisations supporting victims, such as Hourglass. There has been no engagement, a string of cancelled meetings and limited understanding of challenge older people face, especially now during this financial crisis.
“The Prime Minister now needs to honour his campaign promise by working with Hourglass to ensure the only UK helpline supporting older victims of abuse can continue to provide a 24/7 service and doesn’t downsize drastically.”
Baroness Ritchie, Hourglass Patron, said:“The Government need to support older victims of abuse. In an ageing society, services like the Hourglass Helpline play a vital role.
“I urge the Prime Minister to answer the call of this open letter and provide adequate funding for the Hourglass Helpline.”
The city council’s Transport and Environment Convener has condemned anti-social behaviour towards Lothian Buses employees.
Councillor Scott Arthur’s comments follow an open letter from Sarah Boyd, managing director of Lothian Buses, which acknowledges an increase in abusive behaviour towards drivers and other customer-facing people, as well as frontline workers around the city.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, responded to Sarah Boyd’s letter, saying: “It’s extremely disappointing to hear that Lothian Buses’ employees are having to endure abusive and anti-social behaviour.
“These keyworkers work hard to provide a trusted, essential service for the city and it’s appalling that they’re having to put up with this kind of treatment.
“We’ve pulled through an exceptionally challenging few years together, as a city, and I’m grateful for the indispensable role Lothian Buses played during the pandemic. We should not forget that drivers faced unknown risks everyday getting keyworkers to work.
“The current Europe-wide driver shortage means all bus companies face huge challenges in maintaining their network, but I know the vast majority of people in Edinburgh understand this and will continue to support Lothian Buses by reinforcing a zero tolerance stance on anti-social behaviour.”
Child abuse image offences recorded by Police Scotland up 13% last year and reach over 3,100 in just five years
‘Social media being used as a conveyor belt to produce child abuse images on an industrial scale’
NSPCC sets out five-point plan to strengthen Online Safety Bill so it decisively disrupts the production and spread of child abuse material on social media
More than 3,000 child abuse image crimes were recorded by Police Scotland over the last five years, the NSPCC has revealed today.
Data obtained from Police Scotland shows the number of offences relating to possessing, taking, making, and distributing child abuse material peaked at 660 last year (2020/21) – up 13% from 2019/20.
The NSPCC previously warned the pandemic had created a ‘perfect storm’ for grooming and abuse online.
The charity said social media is being used by groomers as a conveyor belt to produce and share child abuse images on an industrial scale. It added that the issue of young people being groomed into sharing images of their own abuse has become pervasive.
The NSPCC is urging the UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries to seize the opportunity to strengthen the Online Safety Bill, so it results in decisive action that disrupts the production and spread of child abuse material on social media.
The child protection charity said that behind every offence could be multiple victims and images, and children will continue to be at risk of an unprecedented scale of abuse unless the draft legislation is significantly strengthened.
Ahead of a report by Parliamentarians who scrutinised the draft Online Safety Bill expected next week, the NSPCC, which has been at the forefront of campaigning for social media regulation, set out a five-point plan to strengthen the legislation so it effectively prevents online abuse.
The charity’s online safety experts said the Bill currently fails to address how offenders organise across social media, doesn’t effectively tackle abuse in private messaging and fails to hold top managers liable for harm or give children a voice to balance the power of industry.
The NSPCC is critical of the industry response to child abuse material. A Facebook whistle-blower recently revealed Meta apply a return-on-investment principle to combatting child abuse material and don’t know the true scale of the problem as the company “doesn’t track it”.
NSPCC Chief Executive, Sir Peter Wanless, said: “The staggering amount of child sexual abuse image offences is being fuelled by the ease with which offenders are able to groom children across social media to produce and share images on an industrial scale.
“The UK Government recognises the problem and has created a landmark opportunity with the Online Safety Bill. We admire Nadine Dorries’ declared intent that child protection is her number one objective.
“But our assessment is that the legislation needs strengthening in clear and specific ways if it is to fundamentally address the complex nature of online abuse and prevent children from coming to avoidable harm.”
The NSPCC’s five-point plan lays out where the Online Safety Bill must be strengthened to:
Disrupt well-established grooming pathways: The Bill fails to tackle convincingly the ways groomers commit abuse across platforms to produce new child abuse images. Offenders exploit the design features of social media sites to contact multiple children before moving them to risky livestreaming or encrypted sites. The Bill needs to be strengthened to require platforms to explicitly risk assess for cross platform harms.
Tackle how offenders use social media to organise abuse: The Bill fails to address how abusers use social media as a shop window to advertise their sexual interest in children, make contact with other offenders and post digital breadcrumbs as a guide for them to find child abuse content. Recent whistle-blower testimony found Facebook groups were being used to facilitate child abuse and signpost to illegal material hosted on other sites.
Put a duty on every social media platform to have a named manager responsible for children’s safety: To focus minds on child abuse every platform should be required to appoint a named person liable for preventing child abuse, with the ultimate threat of criminal sanctions for product decisions that put children in harm’s way.
Give the regulator more effective powers to combat abuse in private messaging: Private messaging is the frontline of child abuse but the regulator needs clearer powers to take action against companies that don’t have a plan to tackle it. Companies should have to risk assess end-to-end encryption plans before they go ahead so the regulator is not left in the dark about abuse taking place in private messaging.
Give children a funded voice to fight for their interests: Under current proposals for regulation children who have been abused will get less statutory protections than bus passengers or Post Office users. There needs to be provision for a statutory body to represent the interests of children, funded by an industry levy, in the Bill.
The NSPCC is mobilising supporters to sign an open letter to Nadine Dorries asking the UK Culture Secretary to make sure children are at the heart of the Online Safety Bill.
The NSPCC’s full analysis of the draft Online Safety Bill is set out in their ‘Duty to Protect’ report.
