State bets on new plan to tame online sexual abuse
Social media is increasingly becoming toxic, perpetuating psychological violence against women and girls.
What you need to know:
- Cases of unsuspecting girls and women being lured by men on social media have been on the rise.
- Predators are increasingly using social media and online gaming to target potential prey, taking advantage of the anonymity and limited regulations offered on the platforms.
In June last year, a bus conductor saved a teenage girl from a sex predator after she boarded their bus plying the Nairobi-Mombasa route to meet a man she had befriended on Facebook.
According to the conductor, they had to accommodate the girl at their Mombasa office and return her to Machakos before reporting the matter to the police.
The girl boarded the bus at Machakos Junction and was headed for the Coast to meet a stranger she had met on Facebook but lied to the conductor that she was going to visit her brother in Mariakani.
From the conversations the conductor had with the man as they journeyed, he feared for the girl’s safety. Tired of being taken on a wild-goose chase, the conductor went with the girl to Mombasa, where her safety was guaranteed.
Cases of unsuspecting girls and women being lured by men on social media have been on the rise. Predators are increasingly using social media and online gaming to target potential prey, taking advantage of the anonymity and limited regulations offered on the platforms.
The ongoing technology and digital revolution globally has seen cases of online sexual exploitation and abuse increase tremendously, with incidents of live-streaming of sexual abuse, child sexual abuse material, online sexual coercion and extortion and online sex trafficking hitting the roof.
Protection
It is for this reason that the government this week launched the National Response to Child Online Sexual Exploitation. This is aimed at providing an action plan to protect children from harmful online content and sexual exploitation.
Public Service and Gender Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia said the plan seeks to curtail cases of online molestation. She termed the Internet a double-edged sword, saying though beneficial, it can be harmful to children if used wrongly.
“The research findings will provide an action plan to protect children from harmful online content and sexual exploitation,” said Prof. Kobia.
To fully align with globally accepted standards of care, the CS said the government, in collaboration with development partners, adopted a unified and holistic approach towards reforming the childcare system by developing the National Care Reform Strategy for Children in Kenya.
The head of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Archbishop Jackson ole Sapit, who was the chief guest during the event at KICC, Nairobi, recognised the role that faith-based organisations continue to play in pushing for the reform of childcare services, policy and framework.
He highlighted, in particular, the need for collaborative action on child online sexual exploitation and abuse. Dr Sapit revealed that a children and teen centre had been established recently at All Saints Cathedral to teach children skills needed in navigating the online space and urged the stakeholders to support the church's efforts.
"The cyberspace is becoming increasingly complex, hence we saw the need to ensure that we protect children by empowering them with skills to ensure their safety as they are the most vulnerable," said Dr Sapit.
Legal loopholes
The launch of the national response comes hot on the heels of a report by Equality Now that recently lifted the lid off online sexual exploitation and abuse.
The survey showed international and national laws have not kept pace with changing technology, thus giving online abusers the leeway to prey on innocent and unsuspecting women and girls.
It also exposed the inherent tension between digital rights and freedoms and the right to protection and safety against vice. Regulations of digital service providers and platforms are inconsistent and often do not do enough to protect users against online sexual violence.
The survey examined the laws surrounding online sexual exploitation and abuse at the national level, focussing on five countries, namely Kenya, India, Nigeria, the United Kingdom (England and Wales), and the United States.
The United Nations Population Fund last year launched a global campaign dubbed Body Right Movement to end online violence against women and girls. It drives the message that women, girls, racial and other marginalised groups are undervalued, exploited, and violated online.
From cyber-stalking and hate speech to doxxing and the non-consensual use of images and video such as deepfakes to online violence, reports of online harassment are widespread.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, 85 per cent of women with access to the Internet reported witnessing online violence against other women, and 38 per cent experienced it personally.
About 65 per cent of women surveyed have experienced cyber-harassment, hate speech and defamation, while 57 per cent have experienced video and image-based abuse where damaging content is shared concurrently across platforms.
