The President’s message

I would like to thank all those that contributed to the creation of Action Innocence Monaco, for their talent, work, generosity, determination and their on going support towards our success and the pursuit of our work.

Since 2002, our association has always benefited from the great kindness of Prince Albert II, our Sovereign, and we thank him so very much for it, and also from the government of the Principality and more specifically the « Direction de l’Education Nationale de la Jeunesse et des Sports » (the Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sport), and the « Sûreté Publique » (the Police Department).

The internet, this amazing communication tool, is present in every household, should it be via a computer, or even via a mobile phone. It has become our children’s favourite communication device.

The first mission of our Association was to point out the growing abuses of this communication and exchange tool and to expose what was being set up in terms of internet child crime. Action Innocence Monaco fights to keep the dignity and the integrity of children on the internet by, in particular, training the young internet user to use this key tool in a secure but also civic manner and by raising their awareness on the different risks such as: shocking images, cyber harassment, the sharing or even the misappropriation of personal data, sexting, happy slapping, dedipix, etc.

Our association, in close collaboration with the “Direction de l’Education Nationale de la Jeunesse et des Sports” (the Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sport), offers a prevention program for children and teenagers within the schools of the Principality. We also intervene by simple request in French schools. These prevention sessions are done by psychologists and their goal is to develop each youngster’s critical sense by putting an emphasis on the fact that, because the content on the internet is difficult to control, one can find the best but also the worst.

The association’s goal is also to raise awareness amongst parents and teachers by organising information campaigns. Although the internet has facilitated access to knowledge, it has also made each adult’s role as an educator more complicated.

In the last 12 years, we have raised awareness about the dangers of the internet to over 350.000 children, 8.000 parents, educational workers and health workers.

We also work very closely with the police by freely giving them a software for tracking illicit files and we are working with the Government to promote new laws to fight abuses.

But these successes should not make us forget that every day, thousands of images of sexually abused children are spread or exchanged on the internet because it is an easy way for unbalanced individuals to blindly attack children or teenagers with nearly total impunity.

Also, in spite of all our efforts, parents do not involve themselves as much as they could. Yet this parent-child communication about the internet is essential.

Louisette Levy-Soussan Azzoaglio
President Action Innocence Monaco