By Angela Atabo
Save the Children International (SCI), an international Non-Governmental Organisation, on Friday, advocated for a safe and accessible digital environment for children to acquire quality education.
SCI’s Director, Advocacy, Campaign, Communication and Media, Mr Amanuel Mamo, made the call in Abuja, at an event to commemorate the 2023 International Day of the African Child.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event with the theme,” The Rights of the Child in the Digital Environment” was organised in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.
He said that the theme reminds stakeholders and duty bearers to be accountable to progress being made in adopting policies to protect children.
He called on stakeholders to reflect on what needs to be done, to effectively promote the right of children in accessing quality and safe access to e-learning platforms.
Mamo argued that access to quality education and safety of the learning environment has remained a challenge, with children still demanding for their rights to be fully protected and respected.
According to him, digital technologies play a critical role in boosting access to quality education, adding however, that children should be safe while learning online.
He reiterated SCI’s call for the formulation and implementation of a law to tackle violations of children’s rights online.
This, he said, could be achieve through the adoption and domestication of the African Union Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data also known as the Malabo Convention.
He added that the legal framework should also include other international instruments, particularly ECOWAS Directive on Fighting Cybercrime, which provide for offenses related to child pornography.
“There is also the need to strengthen appropriate regulatory frameworks to hold businesses accountable when found to have participated in online sexual abuse and exploitation.
“Training of personnel of law enforcement agencies and the judiciary was equally crucial.
“This will empower them to effectively address concerns around child protection online,” he said.
He re-echoed SCI’s call for the participation of children in decision-making processes using child-friendly digital technologies, in line with the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
He stressed the need for caregivers and teachers to be sufficiently equipped, to assist children navigate the digital environment safely.
Ms Gumut Nankiling, Advocacy, Campaigns and Policy Manager, SCI, also stressed the need to safeguard children while accessing online platforms.
According to her, the discourse on the rights of a child in the digital environment will not be complete without the safety and security of children in that sphere.
“The ills of the digital space dance right in front of us. According to UNICEF, one in three internet users globally, are internet abusers.
“This shows that most children are at risk of being exposed to obscene content, cyber bullying, discrimination, hate, violent materials, and impostors for sexual exploitation.
“Therefore, children must be equipped with tools to protect themselves through digital literacy and sensitisation on their rights and safety in the digital space,” she said.
On her part, Ms Unyedikachi Uzodinma, Director of Communications, Women in ICT Foundation, called for the prohibition of the display of explicit content and violations of children online.
According to her, a primary consideration should be placed on protecting the interest of the child in the design of regulations to overcome digital exclusion. (NAN)