Country: New Zealand - Oceania

Title: Position Paper for UNICEF | AMUN22

Topic: Ensuring the Safety of Children in the Entertainment Industry

In the past few years, “kidfluencers,” or kid stars, have been integral to the rise of the movie
industry. The most eminent kidfluencers make up to $26 million in a year by shedding light on
products through personal image and monetizing advertisement space on social media pages.
Notwithstanding, as digital technology becomes more ubiquitous, it is increasingly connected
with cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Still, the issue is nuanced because parents
significantly control the production of their children’s online content, and authorities are limited
in how much they may regulate a parent’s decisions in raising their child.

New Zealand, ranking highly in international comparisons of national performance, is of the

opinion that kid stars’ exploitation and abuse of any kind in the entertainment sector should be
dispensed with. In the light of the fact that all Oceania countries are under intense strain from a
serious abuse issue, it is crucial that they all come to a thorough understanding in order to resolve
the current situation.

Over the past few years, there has been progress in finding comprehensive and feasible solutions
to the child’s exploitation internationally. The number of possible child abuse cases in New
Zealand amounted to approximately 191.000 in 2018. Prevention of child abuse is held in high
priority for the New Zealand Government, as the prevalence of exploitation and abuse is
relatively high in relation to other developed countries. (2) However, solutions for deep-rooted
and long-term effects are still lacking, nevertheless. Some people are still convinced that it is
improbable that kidinfluencers would never be able to be fully and exhaustively protected from
exploiting issues.

New Zealand authorities have put into practice some measurements that exert considerable
impacts on kid stars’ safety. When scheduling a production, the producer needs to consider the
age and maturity of the child, and under no circumstances will travel time exceed the restrictions:
up to and including 8-year-olds - 6 hours door to door (includes travel time); 9 to 11-year-olds -
8 hours door to door (includes travel time); 12 to 16-year-olds - 10 hours working time plus
travel time. On further acquaintance, it is required that the safety and welfare of a child is
paramount at all times. At no time should the adults expose a child under the age of 16 years to
any situation that could be deemed detrimental to the child’s mental, psychological or moral well
being. (1)

New Zealand has a responsibility to work with other Oceania countries to resolve the issue of
ensuring kids’ safety in the glamor world. There are circumstances where a child will not have
the knowledge, confidence, awareness or verbal skills to recognise unsafe work. All adults
involved on a production are responsible for looking out for and protecting the wellbeing and
health and safety of children on a production. The producer should encourage child performers
and all adults in contact with children on a production to identify any health or safety concerns,
and to bring them to the attention of the child’s supervisor. Adults should also be sensitive to the
distress or discomfort expressed by infant or child performers, which could be an indication of a
health and safety issue. The infant or child’s supervisor should respond immediately to concerns
by stopping the work, discussing it with the child and the adults charged with the care of the
child, endeavoring to tackle the issue and, if necessary, taking corrective measurements. The
producer or production representative is required under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
to consult, cooperate and coordinate to resolve health and safety concerns on a production when
raised. If there is no resolution to the concern, the supervisor should refer the concern to the next
level of escalation or raise it with the producer. (1)

New Zealand anticipates that cooperation and understanding will help to find an all-end solution
to the exploiting and abusing situation. Firstly, New Zealand proposes that fellow members and
all organizations establish Oceania common asylum laws with clearly defined rules, effective
assistance, and swift procedure to support those in need of protection. In addition, people’s
awareness about this controversial issue should be raised considerably to form a civilized and
cultured community. Also, it is advisable that pressure be applied to countries to prevent the
situation from worsening into a human rights catastrophe that can trigger a global disapproval
wave.