Child Rights Advocates Call for Protection of Children from Online Sexual Exploitation

By Adedoyin Oguntade

Advocates for the rights of children have called for the protection of children from online sexual exploitation and Abuse in Nigeria. This was done during the X Space organised by the Foundation for Digital Justice (FDJ) on Tuesday, 15 September.

FDJ organised the X Space given the recent incident in Edo State, which involved the online sexual exploitation of a child by the mother. The space was themed Edo: Protecting Children from Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Nigeria. The speakers included Dr Samuel Atiku, Senior Research Fellow, Macrofiscal Centre; Taiwo Akinlami, Esq., Family and Social Development Attorney; and Salvation Grace Aworanti, Founder, VARSH Foundation. The session was moderated by Oluwadamilola Albert, Programs/Research Officer, FDJ.

The speakers in the session provided their input on the subject of the protection of children from online sexual exploitation and abuse.

While speaking, Mr Atiku expressed concern that what is currently tenable in the digital space is unlike anything seen before. Being a researcher, he provided data to corroborate the fact that online sexual exploitation is on the rise like never before. Speaking further, Mr Atiku opined that, “We need to make a deliberate choice and if anyone is abused on a platform, there should be a term stating that the owner of such a platform bears the brunt.” To him, this is necessary to ensure proper accountability not only on the part of social media users but also on the part of the platforms themselves.

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Mr Atiku further affirmed that Nigeria cannot continue to rely on regulations from the United States and the United Kingdom to decide the operation of platforms used.

Mr Akinlami, on the other hand, stated, “The foundational thing is to have a relationship with your children. It goes beyond signs when it comes to identifying abuse in children.” This was given as a response to the question of how parents can notice signs of abuse in children.

He stated further that when signs are discussed, it is about the relationship with children and it must be encouraged by churches, the government, and other bodies.

Mr Akinlami added, “In Nigeria, a car that is meant to run on 4 tyres is running on 1 alone; the parents. The other stakeholders; NGO, the government, and others, are not so functional.” As a child advocate, Mr Akinlami believes children have to be held by the hand when it comes to navigating the use of social media and the internet.

The founder of VARSH Foundation, Ms Aworanti, spoke from the lens of her experience with children’s sexual exploitation and abuse while leading her foundation committed to fighting against sexual abuse, child abuse, and gender discrimination. She stated that the justice system in the country is also not helping the situation in the country.

The advocates also called for the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to step up its game and be more proactive in its activities. They also opined that the positive social norms in our culture should be entrenched in our modern laws. The Western culture of minding one’s business is, to them, something that must be stopped.

For FDJ, the conversation serves as a means of remaining committed to advocating for the ethical use of digital spaces to ensure that children in Nigeria are protected from online social exploitation and abuse.