Children are fruits of the family unit of the society which is very vital. Children have been recognized by our Kenyan law and in specific our 2010 Kenyan Constitution which is very transformative. Article 53 specifically deals with the rights of children.Children rights flows up from international jurisprudence even in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.This demonstrates how children are important in our society.
Online child sexual exploitation and abuse can be encountered in a lot of ways ranging from online trafficking and recruitment of children on the internet amongst many forms of online abuse. It can fully occur online or through a mix of online and in-person interactions between offenders and children.
Key findings from Disrupting Harm research in Kenya found that beween 5 and 13 per cent of internet-using children aged between 12-17 reported experiencing online child sexual exploitation and abuse in the past year. However, this number could be lower because not so many children disclose what they go through as online abuse on the internet.
Boys and girls are both subjected to these crimes and perpetrators are most often someone the child knows.
One of the problems we have in Kenya is that some forms of Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse are not treated as criminal offences in Kenyan law. Fears of stigmatization amongst children lead to many unreported cases in Kenya of such crimes.
While the Kenyan government is launching its new National Plan of Action on Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in the coming days, strong mechanisms should be put up alongside the National Plan of Action including through establishing simple online methods for children to disclose such incidences to the correct authorities for proper action.
The public should also be sufficiently informed about the topic of online child sexual exploitation and abuse and the various forms in which it takes place which should include technology and its role today. Such programmes should be effective and widespread across all counties in Kenya.
Parents, guardians and caregivers should also be informed about such crimes and should be encouraged to talk to their children as they are the closest to them, about lives, both online and offline, and they should also be encouraged to challenge taboos that prevent adults and children from talking about sex or from seeking help in regard to sexual abuse or exploitation that is encountered even when it is not online.
The Sexual Offence Act of 2006 should be amended to include other forms of Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and to mete strong implications against them in our Kenyan law so that such crimes are deterred in our society and as a result our children are given the protection they need, whether online or offline. So far the Sexual Offences has not captured all crimes in relation to this as only child trafficking, child pornography and amongst other few captured crimes.
Parliament as the arm of government that is mandated by the Constitution for making laws in Kenya should make legislation that will make sure social media platforms and all other internet services add up to the safety of our children on such platforms and that any platform that does not adhere to the guidelines of such a legislation will not be allowed to run through. Such services should allow data retention such that information can be easily accessed when a case is reported, detection of such incidents against children and their immediate and automatic report to the relevant authorities.
The Kenyan Government should also join hands in providing financial support to the national children’s helpline to ensure that it is reliable by all children and is available for them through-out the day including the night.
I am encouraged by the Government of Kenya’s preparation of the National Plan of Action to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation online.
LET US END ONLINE CHILD ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION!