24 Sep 2014

More work needed to Pacific cyber crime

6:36 pm on 24 September 2014

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat says more awareness is needed across the region to protect children from being abused online and other cyber crime.

Vanuatu is hosting a workshop on cyber crime this week which will include discussions on how to protect children from being abused online.

The Forum's legislative drafting officer, Nola Faasau, says cyber crime is growing very quickly in the region, and awareness is needed at a grass roots level to back policies and laws.

She says the secretariat can provide platforms, but it is the member countries who have to come up with their own policies on how to tackle the issue.

She says more resources are also needed.

"Law enforcement obviously deals a lot with issues in trying to identify, monitor and to enforce. You can have a good law and policies in place, but without the resouces to back up and support national resources, you know, that's the key resource."

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat's Nola Faasau.