Government lauded over children's internet protection law

Joyce Odame, the Child Protection Officer, at the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has lauded the government for living up to its responsibility of protecting children from illicit internet activities.

She stated that the government has shown a lot of commitment in the area of online child protection and that as far back as 2015 the government started engaging stakeholders around this topic.

This gesture Madam Odame said motivated UNICEF to conduct research just to find out within the landscape threats which has informed the interventions put in place to address the issue.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Africa Safer Internet Day (SID) Celebration in Accra, the UNICEF Child protection officer disclosed that government's commitment has also been brought to the fore with the passage of the Cyber Security Act.

"The Cyber Security Act has been passed and this law has some provision on child online protection making provision for offences that are punishable by law like online grooming, sextortion and Online Child Sexual Abuse."

Madam Odame noted that the Ministry of Communication through the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has also put in place some programmes to support awareness creation around the issue, stressing that UNICEF is also working with the Ministry of Education to develop a Digital Literacy Package that can be integrated into the school's curricula.

She argued that it is not enough to teach children the parts of the computer or software but also there is the need to integrate some online safety lessons into their studies.

Madam Odame was, however, quick to add that the task is too much for the government to do all, the reason why other stakeholders must come on board.

The UNICEF Child Protection Officer, for this reason, urges parents to be concerned about the contents their wards are exposed to on the internet.

"It is very important for parents to supervise the online activities of their children, it is not just enough to buy an internet-enabled device and give to your child, is important to get involved and know what the child is using that tool for so that you can support the child to use this tool more responsibly and safely".

According to her, it is important for parents and caregivers or people who have the responsibility to take care of children to really brief them about the threats online."

She explained that every threat that children are exposed to in the physical world are replicated in the online world.

SID is an international event that takes place in February every year, to promote a safe and more responsible use of online technology by children and young people across the world.

On Safer Internet Day, the world comes together with a shared vision of making online experiences better for everyone.

This year’s event, which is the 18th edition, will see a repeat of the 2020 theme “Together for a Better Internet” across the globe.

It aims among other things to promote the safe and positive use of technology by children and young people.