Cyber Security Authority calls for safe use of digital technology for children
The Cyber Security Authority has called for stakeholder collaboration to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.
Advertisement
It said the country is in grave danger of losing its future generation to the predatory and hidden evils of the online world hence the need for parents, teachers, civil society organisations , the media and the private sector to collaborate to protect children from online sexual abuse and other such vices.
Africa Safe Internet Day
The Director-General of the CSA, Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, made the call in a statement to mark Africa Safer Internet Day (ASID).
ASID is being commemorated on the theme, “Empowering Minds, Protecting Rights: Creating a Safer Digital Africa” and is observed on the second Tuesday of February every year.
The CSA would lead the annual ASID commemoration in partnership with UNICEF Ghana, the Ghana Education Service (GES), and other stakeholders through sensitisation events in schools, outreach programmes on child digital safety for churches and mosques, media engagements, and social media campaigns.
Dr Antwi-Boasiako said a 2022 report from UNICEF indicated that more than 13,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse were reportedly accessed from Ghana in 2020, adding that Interpol's Global Crime Trends Report 2022 on Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) was ranked among the top ten crime trends perceived by Interpol member countries.
He stressed that if steps were not taken children would be exploited, manipulated and taken advantage of by individuals and entities in the online world.
The CSA Director-General said despite the efforts by the government to completely make the Internet a safe place for children, some gaps remained that called for stakeholder collaboration to improve awareness on child online safety issues across the country.
Measures already in place
The statement noted that the government of Ghana, through the CSA, had put in place measures to demonstrate its commitment towards a safer internet for all users, especially children, some of which include the passage of the Cybersecurity Act 2020 (Act 1038), which had provisions criminalising child online abuses; the National Child Online Protection Framework that was aimed at tackling the incidents of OCSEA, including child sexual abuse materials, online harassment, and cyberbullying against children; and the Cybersecurity/Cybercrime Incidents Reporting Points of Contact that allowed for the collation of reports that also served as a platform for inquiries.
Other Trending Stories
“The CSA is also committed to organising regular sensitization programmes across the country to educate children and parents on how to ensure safety online.
In 2022, the CSA further launched the National Cybersecurity Challenge for Senior High Schools across the country to educate the students on the subject to further conscientize them on cyber hygiene practices and prepare them to become cybersecurity professionals,” it stated.
Awareness
“The event is dedicated to advancing online safety initiatives and best practices by raising awareness about child online safety in Africa,” the statement said.
The celebration, according to the statement, further seeks to reflect the continent’s unwavering commitment to ensuring a secure digital future by empowering young people, especially children, and positioning them for a safer digital Africa.
It indicated that the ASID was expected to create awareness of child online provisions in the Cybersecurity Act 2020 (Act 1038), raise awareness of current cybersecurity trends that affected children, share safety tips and acceptable online behaviours for children and young persons, as well as discuss channels for seeking redress.