In the spirit of the Vuvale partnership Fiji’s Online Safety Commission (OSC) and Australia’s Office of the eSafety Commissioner (OESC) have been working together in having lead roles in the online safety space in the Pacific.

In this video, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, and Fiji’s Online Safety Commissioner, Anne Dunn-Baleilevuka, had a vibrant online discussion on the partnership and online safety in general.

The Partnership is rooted on information sharing, research in the realm of online abuse and online safety materials thus paving the way in regulating the different online spaces and ultimately providing redress for online abuse for our citizens.

It is encouraging to see women taking leading roles in keeping our online space safe in a time where there is a rapid shift towards “being online.”

The Commissioner to Commissioner talk is a testament of this initiative from both the organizations through their respective Governments with the discussion ranging from producing online safety material in the different languages reflecting the multilingual nations and contextualizing online safety content specific to the two countries.

The Australian Commissioner Julie Inman Grant also address the issue of online bullying and how extensive its impact on mental health. Fiji’s Commissioner Anne Dunn-Baleilevuka stressed further how online bullying disseminated from the school setting well into early hours of the morning which could be devastating to a child. As pioneers into the field of online safety the lessons learnt would be the stepping stones for other nations as a way forward.

The spirit of Vuvale was emanating from the lively discussion thus strengthening the ties and ensuring that the respective organizations are adamant to work to better their nations as they move towards cultivating a safer, more inclusive, more respectful online experience. In the words of Julie Inman Grant (Commissioner OESC) “my home is your home.” Let’s all be safe online.