ActionAid Ghana (AAG) has urged parents and guardians to have an interest in the activities their children engage in online to control, monitor and manage their online access for a safe digital experience.
It also recommended that children should be educated on online risks, responsible digital behaviour and protection from abuse while in the digital space including privacy settings, safe browsing habits, and dangers associated with sharing personal information with strangers online.
Mr Justine Bayor, the Head of Programmes, Campaigns and Innovation at AAG, said this at Ul-kpong community in the Jirapa Municipality at the weekend during an event to celebrate the Day of the African Child with school children of the Ul-kpong, Ullo and Ul-Gozu basic schools.
The event organised by the AAG on the theme: “The Rights of the Child in the Digital Environment”, witnessed poetry recitals and drama by the school children depicting children’s responsible use of digital devices such as mobile phones.
Mr Bayor also recommended the development of online child protection frameworks against the violation of children’s rights online, with appropriate reporting and investigation mechanisms.
He also called for the reassessment of the Cyber Security Act 2020 (Act 1038) and the Data Protection legislation to address the gaps and offer guidance on the protection of children’s privacy and personal data online.
He said the recommendations were necessary because, despite the benefits of the internet to the realisation of children’s rights and freedoms including the right to education and freedom of expression and association, some issues regarding internet usage had exposed children to an eminent danger on the digital environment
They included limited access to internet services by children, their vulnerability to online sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, child marriages and children’s online privacy issues coupled with an information gap in the Cyber Security Act (Act 1038).
Mr Bayor explained that as a social justice organisation, ActionAid prioritised children, women and young people in its work through strengthening their capacities to enable them assert their rights.
He added that AAG had established Girls Clubs and Young Female Platforms in selected schools in the Upper West Region, provided learning materials for some school children in the Jirapa, Sissala East and the Lambussie Districts and constructed early childhood infrastructure in 10 communities to increase children’s access to quality public basic education.
Madam Matilda Chireh, the Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Children, observed that children were vulnerable to online sexual exploitation such as internet grooming, sexual extortion, and the exposure of children to pornography among others.
She advised the children to be circumspect in their interactions and activities on the internet “footprints” of their activities were left on the internet which could be used against them in the future.
“Children’s privacy can be jeopardized in the online world for a variety of reasons, including the sharing of personal information by kids and adults, data collection and processing by government agencies, private companies, and other organizations, as well as illegal acts like identity theft.
Cyberbullying and being exposed to damaging information and advice are additional risks that youngsters face online”, she added.
Mr Huudu A. Kunaateh, the Jirapa Municipal Director of Education, commended the AAG for their intervention in the educational sector in the municipality.
He identified some of those interventions to include the renovation of classroom blocks and the provision of positive discipline tools for teachers.
