Parents urged to monitor their children's online activities

Mombasa

Monday, July 31, 2023

KNA by Chari Suche/Sadik Hassan

A rights group dealing with the welfare of children in Kenya has urged parents to take control and monitor the online content children go through in the digital space.

Child Fund Kenya Children Coordinator, David Mariba, said that cases of online child sexual exploitation and abuse are on the rise.

Speaking with KNA, Mariba warned that children are currently being exposed to online sexual exploitation and pornography, through digital devices easily provided to them at home by their guardians.

He said that the digital space has been actively seen to have content that is not child friendly thus urging parents to be vigilant in protecting children from sex predators that are hunting minors via the internet.

“It is the responsibility of a parent to monitor what the child is doing online and guide the child on the right content to watch on the internet in line with the age group of the child,” he said.

He noted that several organizations dealing with the welfare of children have come out to sensitize parents on the causes and effects of online sexual exploitation, urging them to come out and report incidents for assistance.

“If the society knows that one can report to authorities whenever a child has been sexually abused via the internet, we can easily protect our children,” he said.

Mariba said technology should be key in building the capacity of children on various sexual violations and not destroying their lives.

"The smartphones, if not correctly used, can be an instrument for destroying the lives of our younger generation because pornography is easily accessible. Parents should also monitor the behavior of helpers who spend most of the time with children as they have a big role in the values they instill in these kids,” he added.

In a bid to ensure that society is informed on the dangers of child online sexual exploitation and abuse, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection through the Directorate of Children's Service and Child Fund Kenya have trained Mombasa journalists on effective identification and reporting on Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA).

A group of journalists from various media houses in Mombasa were taken through a two-day workshop on the types of online sexual exploitation and how society can be informed and protect children from harm.

At the same time, Child Fund in partnership with Life Skills Promoters and ChildLine Kenya is implementing a Community Linkages for Internet Child Safety (CLICS) project in Nairobi, Kiambu, Kilfi, and Mombasa counties.

The project aims to strengthen capacity, networks, and systems from the national to the grassroots level to make the internet safe for children in the country.

Journalists who participated in the workshop were grateful for the opportunity to learn about the area that has been quite tricky in reporting.

Ruth Masita of Pwani FM said she was thrilled as it was her first training on online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

“From this training, I have learned a lot and I can use my media house to inform and sensitize parents on the importance of monitoring the online content children consume,” said Masita.

Courtesy ; K. N. A