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Joyce Odame, Child Protection Officer at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), commended the government for honoring its responsibility to protect children from illicit Internet activity.
She said the government has shown a lot of commitment in the area of online child protection and that as early as 2015, the government started to engage stakeholders around this topic.
This gesture, said Odame, motivated UNICEF to conduct research that informed the interventions put in place to address the problem.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the celebration of the African Day for a Safer Internet (SID) in Accra, the UNICEF child protection officer revealed that the government’s commitment has also been put prominently with the adoption of the law on cybersecurity.
“The cybersecurity law has been passed and this law contains online child protection provisions which provide for legally punishable offenses such as online grooming, sextortion and online child sexual abuse”
Ms. Odame noted that the Ministry of Communication, through the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), has also put in place programs to support awareness of this issue, noting that UNICEF is also working with the Ministry of ‘Education to develop a digital literacy curriculum can be integrated into school curricula.
She argued that it is not enough to teach children the parts of the computer or software, but that it is also necessary to incorporate online safety lessons into their studies.
However, Ms. Odame was quick to add that the task is too heavy for the government, hence the need for other stakeholders.
The UNICEF Child Protection Officer, for this reason, urges parents to be concerned about the content their pupils are exposed to on the Internet.
“It is very important for parents to supervise their children’s online activities, it is not enough to buy an internet connected device and give it to your child, it is important to get involved and know what is going on. ‘child uses this tool so that you can help the child to use this tool more responsibly and safely ”.
According to her, it’s important that parents and caregivers or those who have the responsibility of caring for children really educate them about online threats. “
She explained that all the threats children are exposed to in the physical world are replicated in the online world.
SID is an international event that takes place in February each year, to promote the safe and more responsible use of online technology by children and young people around the world.
On Safer Internet Day, the world comes together with a shared vision of improving online experiences for all.
This year’s event, which is the 18th edition, will see a repeat of the 2020 theme “Together for a Better Internet” across the world.
Among other things, it aims to promote the safe and positive use of technology by children and young people.
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