John Robb is joined by Mark Bentley, Global Senior Advisor for Digital Safeguarding at World Vision, in the latest episode of Inside the Sweeps. Mark brings decades of frontline experience in online safety, child protection and digital wellbeing, and now helps one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations navigate the complex realities of keeping children safe in an increasingly connected world.
Mark discusses the practical challenges of safeguarding in low-tech settings, the role partnerships and technology can play, and why lasting change requires cultural shifts and local capacity—not just tools. Listen in for clear, experience-based insight into what meaningful digital protection looks like today and what success should mean going forward.
John Robb
On this episode of Inside the Sweeps, we’re joined by Mark Bentley, the advisor for Digital Safeguarding at World Vision. In today’s podcast, we’ll discuss how digital safeguarding is an important consideration for World Vision as they execute their mission of disaster relief, community development and advocacy for children’s rights.
The world is changing and technology is everywhere. It is good to see World Vision showing some leadership in the digital realm as well as in real space.
Mark Bentley
Thanks, John. Good to be with you.
John Robb
Thanks for joining us today. Mark, can you tell us a bit about your path to this point? What led you to take on the role of Global Senior Advisor for digital safeguarding at World Vision?
Mark Bentley
Sure, so it’s all a bit of a change for me. Previously, I’ve been working in education for the past 11 years. And there I was working at LGFL, where we supported schools with all things safeguarding, but by nature of what we did, where the organization provided internet and various other technologies to schools that led me to specialize a bit in online safety, online safeguarding, digital safeguarding, and technology facilitated harms – things like that. That gave me a good grounding in all the things that I’ve come to World Vision to do right now.
John Robb
Sounds like you have been involved with digital safety for a long time. Was there a particular experience in your career that really shaped how you think about online safety and digital wellbeing?
Mark Bentley
I wouldn’t say there was just one. The more time you spend with people who are trying to navigate this area the more you realize it’s really tricky for everyone involved and often it’s, fairly Sisyphean, if you know your Greek mythology, in terms of what you’re doing. You go round and round or you’re pushing your rock up the mountain again and again, and sometimes it feels not like you’re not getting anywhere.
I think after a few years of that, it struck me that it’s really important to have the mixture of education because of course that’s really important. But then also what’s happening in terms of technology and industry, you need some industry goodwill and tech companies getting behind it. Then also regulation, that sort of thing as well. So, it’s been really great over the last couple of years to see regulation and legislation enforcing that in the UK and Australia, various US states are doing things as well. There’s lots happening there.
That’s quite exciting as well because it feels like if you just do the education piece, whether that’s with a big E meaning schools or small e um, the kind of messaging you put out anywhere, then it can be very quickly undermined by the other things lacking. So, it’s those three pillars if you like. I think once I realized that it kind of changed my outlook on it all.
John Robb
There’s definitely been some changes to regulations in the UK in the last little while. In your previous roles, what were some of the toughest challenges you faced when trying to put digital safeguarding into practice? You mentioned that it was sort of round and round, you had to keep doing it. How did you deal with that? What kind of things did you do in those roles to deal with those pillars that you were talking about?
Mark Bentley
So, for me personally, I was quite interested in the different pillars. I spent a bit of time testing, for example, parental controls, testing technologies key in the safety tech industry because that was quite interesting to see what’s happening there in terms of new things that are being developed.
Meeting providers such as yourselves, of course, with exciting things that really show how it’s nonsense basically when people say; “no, it’s not possible to make the internet safer”. Of course you need goodwill, but there are plenty of things that that can be done in terms of you know, filtering and monitoring. Like you do various other screening tools that are out there as well. Different kinds of devices. There’s lots happening. But in terms of the toughest challenges, I guess it was bringing all these things together but also seeing people’s capacity as well. That’s often a challenge.
Previously, when I was working with schools, like I say, it was very busy places. Every year in terms of, budget, money and people, then finding the time to upskill is very tricky. But probably one thing that would really help, which I think was key in my role before and what I’m doing now, is trying to close that loop between the techies and the non-techies. Helping people to understand that the two are not separate. Because often there’s a full dichotomy there. We’ve got safeguarding over here and online or digital safeguarding over there because that’s to do with devices. So, someone else will look after that. And that can be dangerous because things fall down the cracks, and obviously you need people on both sides. Trying to bring those two sides together has always been a fairly tricky challenge, but very worthwhile because it really helps both sides to do the best to keep children safe.
John Robb
Now, I know in schools safeguarding is a big issue. I didn’t quite realize that this was an issue for World Vision and something that they were interested in doing. You’ve mentioned goodwill and you also mentioned having people on both sides. What does your day to day look like at World Vision and how are you trying to overcome some of those things for World Vision and what their mission is?
Mark Bentley
So, just to answer the second one first, sadly the humanitarian and development sector has long known it’s got a problem with that. Child sexual abuse, but very much in terms of contact abuse, where people on the ground go into a particular area. And that’s something that the sector has worked really hard on. World Vision is certainly leading the way with that. Now we’ve got an excellent safeguarding team that’s been in place for a long time on the digital side of things.
There’s been lots happening, but I think it’s a reflection of the way the world is changing. The fact that there’s lots more digital engagement. Certainly, at World Vision, we are doing lots in terms of digital engagement, but others are as well. Other NGOs around the world. I think as that increases, it’s also important to recognize that we need to step up the game in terms of safeguarding there. So that’s essentially what I’m trying to do on a day-to-day basis. Try to identify the areas where we perhaps need to refresh something in terms of policy documents, increasing training and awareness raising, but also supporting the children and the adults we work with all around the world. Whether that’s through curriculum, whether it’s through providing them safe experiences, and of course making sure that we look at every project we do where we are engaging with them digitally. Whether that’s on a mobile device or an online platform or online communications in some respect; that we are making sure they are as safe as can be.
So, basically, I’m looking at all these areas, what can we do? How can we make sure that we are continuing to lead the way in that area.
John Robb
So, it’s not just a technology problem, it’s a policy process problem where all of those things have to be intertwined. Like you said previously, you have to bring the safeguarding and the digital safeguarding https://www.netsweeper.com/solutions/products/onguard-digital-safety-monitoring together, especially as the world gets more technologically enabled, even in parts of the world where they might have limited access to technology. It still exists and you still have to do that kind of thing. You’re looking at this as a broader approach?
Mark Bentley
Absolutely. And we’re trying to be ahead of the curve because as you say, World Vision is working in lots of areas where perhaps there is no mobile signal. In areas of poverty where not many people have devices. Again, that’s not all of the areas that we work in. We have the whole range really. But it’s really key that if we are going to be the ones who introduce some kind of technology, that we are making sure we’re heading off the risk before we do that.
Equally, you know, we are trying to prepare children for their lives as they grow up as well. One of our key departments is child protection. Preparing children within the processes that already exist within their countries as well. Supporting them with what they’re going to face in their life as they grow up in an increasing digital world.
And that’s the case, regardless of where you are. There will always be more and more digital and perhaps faster, albeit you don’t know when that will be in areas where there’s not much at the minute. It’s kind of laying the groundwork, making sure we are doing our best for the children that we represent.
John Robb
That’s something I want to come back to in in a little bit. There’s a sort of a thought that I have there, but before I get to that, World Vision works with lots of partners around the world. What kinds of collaborations are you looking to engage in to help protect children online, for instance, where can technology companies like Nets sweeper make a difference?
Mark Bentley
I think for the sector overall, not just for World Vision, it’s important for humanitarian and development organizations to try and combine these things we were talking about before. So yes, policy and training and messaging and education, but also technology is key. We’re spending lots of time thinking about the technology that’s already in place or that organizations are putting in place, but also there is safety technology, safety tech that is dedicated to making other bits of technology safer.
John Robb
What kinds of tools or approaches do you think have the most potential to identify and prevent online risks like grooming or harmful content? How do you see systems like filtering, contributing to that?
Mark Bentley
I think it’s really key to remember that yes, we have technology that is aimed for all sorts of things. Enterprise solutions that companies use, consumer tools as well, and you can do lots with the settings there to make them as safe as possible. So, you can make technology that’s used for one thing as safe as possible, but also there’s technology that is just about keeping people safe, in particular, keeping children safe for obvious reasons. That kind of safety tech, seeing how you can embed it into your ecosystem is really important. I think that’s true across all sectors, but particularly where you are working with children and vulnerable adults. It’s really key to consider, perhaps, big tech won’t make everything as safe as possible out of the box. We can certainly see that’s true at the minute. There will always be a role for other tools that can help you have access to new technologies, to new devices or solutions, but do it in a safe way.
That’s where things like filtering and monitoring are key because they can look at what is going on and really give the opportunity to uncover things that otherwise wouldn’t come to light often. That’s the beauty of things like monitoring; where children might not be ready to disclose abuse. The system can spot that and can flag that to a responsible safeguarding lead or focal point. That can be invaluable in terms of keeping them safe in the future. So, I think it’s really important to see how these safety technologies can play a role both on their own in and of themselves, but also when embedded into other technologies.
For example, if you’re in a global organization, you’ll have so many elements of technology from various providers. So, seeing how you can close that loop is really key in the same way as you would do for other things like data protection or cybersecurity, you’ll be trying to look across various different products, tools, and solutions – the same kind of applies in safeguarding.
John Robb
When you talk about being able to see things and be alerted to them earlier, we know that safeguarding sometimes walks that fine line between protection and privacy. How do you think organizations can strike the right balance so that monitoring doesn’t turn into overreach?
Mark Bentley
Firstly, I have to apologize that I’m going to use the term full dichotomy again, but there really is a full dichotomy between protection and privacy. Often, whenever child protection advocates get in the media, for example, talking about trying to do something to make things safer for children online, then immediately the privacy advocates will come out. They say, “you can’t do that because the two don’t go together”. I think that’s really dangerous and it would be really good if more people can understand how, you can actually have both. There are all sorts of ways that that is possible. But I do think it’s important before you even think about the technical side of it, to just address the theory and to understand that actually you can want both.
You can want privacy; you can also want protection. I think if you take the banking industry is a good example of where some of these things exist. Everyone knows that financial services, apps and sites have some of the strongest protections in terms of privacy, but they also scan for various things as well, looking out for money laundering and the like. Equally, they have very strong systems for age and identity verification, and people don’t complain about that because, yes, we definitely need to know who’s doing it, but we can also keep it private. Often, it’s portrayed as if we, take social media, for example, portrayed as if knowing your user or knowing their age is going to destroy all their privacy and that really doesn’t need to be the case. There are lots of standards that are out there that demonstrate this. There’s lots of work in terms of age and identity verification that really, really show that.
So, I think that’s the groundwork for it. And then if we can accept that the two are not conflicting and not going against each other, then we can really start to make progress. Because of course it’s important if you have lots of child data that is really key to keep that private. The two don’t sound like natural bedfellows, but actually that it’s really key to work on both at the same time. And there’s plenty of technological proof that they really do.
John Robb
I know it’s an area that we frequently enter into discussions about how much of one over the other do you have to have in order to protect kids? Because in many cases, kids don’t even know they need the protection. And you know, as a society, we have to do our best. We’re going to give them these tools.
When you give a kid a drill, you give them safety glasses, right? We need to do similar kinds of things in order to protect them because bad things do happen. As much as we would like to think that it’s all good, bad things do happen. So, it’s good to hear that there is this balance between the protection and the privacy and making sure that all of that is dealt with.
As you go through this whole process of digital safeguarding, how do you evaluate success? What do you think really matters? Is it if fewer incident. Faster response time, something deeper like building trust and resilience. How would you evaluate success for your role and for society in general?
Mark Bentley
Yeah, that’s a really good question.
There’s nothing to disagree with any of the things that you’ve listed there. I think it’s key not to do one or the other. It will depend to an extent of what you are trying to achieve but definitely we’ve got to do both. Try and prevent incidents and that’s part of being proactive about having better policies and training, but also technology that will prevent incidents.
So, definitely fewer incidents is a key. If something does happen, then responding to it, recognizing it quickly is important as well. The example I gave before of a monitoring system, spotting a child, for example, talking about abuse, that doesn’t mean the technology caused it. They could well mention something that’s happening in the home, in the physical realm. It’s really key to respond to that quickly as well. I would give a another big, “tick” to that.
Beyond that either preventing or spotting things going on, preparing for the future, preparing for the wider world is really key as well. That’s why what we are working on at World Vision is not only to think about the systems that we have in place and making sure that we are mitigating risk there. We are also trying to prepare children for the systems, the platforms, the devices, the social media, the online friends that they will have as they grow up throughout life – trying to lay those foundations.
So, I think yes to all you’ve said and more, it’s trying to fill all of these bits of the cycle.
John Robb
It sounds a little complicated. Sounds like it’s multifaceted. There’s lots of things!
Mark Bentley
Yeah. I don’t want to draw that diagram!
John Robb
Yeah. I’ll let you do it. Yeah, that would be quite a thing.
Now, this is a new role for you at World Vision. As you say, they’ve been doing safeguarding for a while, but this is new. There’s lots of change that you’re going to bring to the organization. Things you’re going to see on the digital safeguarding front. A lot of the World Vision projects kind of come and go. How does digital safeguarding become part of the local culture and capacity, and do you see World Vision as helping in that aspect.
Mark Bentley
There’s something that I’ve been really struck by since I’ve been working at World Vision and I was quite surprised not really knowing the sector well before, was how much of the work that goes on is really sustainable.
So, if I give you a couple of examples that are nothing to do with digital, just to illustrate it, there are lots of projects where we are working in small little villages in the middle of nowhere, with very difficult transport to get to other places. If we just take one example of nutrition, the community might be otherwise reliant on pre-packaged nutrient packages that might be delivered to them. If that delivery stopped then due to whatever, a project ending or funding ending, then they would be back where they were before. Whereas what World Vision has been doing is some great projects to show communities what they can do with the resources that they already have in terms of crops that are available.
That probably is a good metaphor for what you need to do with the digital side of things as well. If we are just putting in a system or a solution and it’s going to only work so long as someone else is paying for it, when it disappears, then it’s no good. That, I think in terms of the longer term, is making sure we’ve got education. We’ve got support and training for children, but also for their parents and caregivers and for community leaders as well.
Trying to then help these communities to help each other as well. Throughout the managed area and development sector, there’s a big drive for making sure that we are not doing things to communities, but with them as well. Equipping them more with skills to make sure that it’s all about them. And I think for digital the same applies. Like I say, skills that can help you in in other areas as well and making sure that these can be passed on. So, equipping children to equip other children, equipping teachers in local areas or community leaders that support the next community down the track, that sort of thing. It’s just some of the ways that we can do that.
John Robb
It sounds like there will be no shortage of work ahead.
Mark Bentley
I believe that may be true.
John Robb
Now, this is a new role for you. If we were to sit down again in five years from now, what would success look like to you?
Mark Bentley
I think awareness, greater awareness is one of the really key things, and probably not just in in my role or my organization, but overall, in society. We have lots of people who are very focused on these sorts of areas. There are lots of people who are not. If you just think about your friends and family, you’ll have some who work in a role similar to you who are very with the harms, with the technologies that are out there, and some people who will be oblivious to it as well. I think that’s something that we can all play a part in, raising awareness. People who don’t work with children who don’t have any children are still aware of why it’s important that the internet, that sites and games are kept as safe as can be. That children are kept to certain areas and away from others because it’s going to make the play safer for all of us.
I think if we can start with that level of awareness going up, that will help with all the other things that will help with the pillars I mentioned before of regulation and industry and education because then the support will be there from society that will also push technology companies perhaps to do things differently as well.
John Robb
And speaking of technology companies, what is one thing you wish that technology partners or donors understood about safeguarding?
Mark Bentley
Ooh, if I could limit myself to one, I could probably give you 25. I’ll ignore the one and just talk for a while. I think you would have to divide up safety tech partners and your standard technology provider for a start because obviously safety tech is all about the safety. I think integration is probably key if you are making a platform for communication or just supporting a business or a charity to do something at seeing how that can integrate with other platforms. Obviously in every area, not just to do with safeguarding. It’s going to make life more convenient and save money, but that’s not always at the top of the tree. Equally, putting in safety settings, you don’t always need to be talking about children, or something targeted at children, but there are all sorts of settings that aren’t necessarily very easy.
So, if you think about your router at home that you might get with your internet, there are all sorts of clever, safe things you can do that sometimes are hidden from the menu. And the same applies across the technology stack. Really beyond that interoperability is also key as well. One thing that we’re seeing a lot of in the media at the minute, given the pressure from regulators and news about things that have gone wrong online, we’re seeing lots of providers operating system providers or app providers or device providers saying that someone else should put the controls and the safety checks in place. I think, yes, they’re right, but they should also do it themselves, but it’s going to become impossible to use if they don’t all work together, if they’re not interoperable.
So, I think that is also something that would be great, and I think to an extent, technology companies do understand the importance of this but obviously it costs money as well and isn’t necessarily always good for competition.
John Robb
Thank you very much, Mark, for taking your time to discuss your role in World Vision in general. If our audience wanted to get involved, what’s something that they can do? Is there a website they can visit?
Mark Bentley
World Vision operates in over a hundred countries and if you want to find out more you can visit https://www.worldvision.org/. That’s for World Vision International and from there, you might want to have a look at our child sponsorship program. This happens in many countries all around the world and if you click to find out more, it will then redirect you on what country you are based in because that’s one of the key ways that we support children around the world, is not through massive grants. Of course, we work with grants and funders as well. A real key part and the core and heart of what we do is through individuals sponsoring children. That’s really something that’d be great for you to just find out about, even if you’re not sure.
John Robb
Thank you very much for that and thank you again for your time.
Mark Bentley
Thank you.
John Robb
We really appreciate it.
Mark Bentley
Thank you, John.