Tanzania has taken a significant step towards protecting its children from online dangers by launching a Child Online Protection (COP) campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness among children, parents, and teachers about the crimes children face when they are online.
The COP campaign will run for a year across various media, including electronic, print, outdoor, and online, to increase awareness and review child-related laws and regulations. The focus will be on educating children and their guardians about their responsibility to protect children online.
Speaking at the launch, Dorothy Gwajima, Minister of Community Development, Women, and Special Groups, emphasised the importance of limiting the time children spend on electronic devices, particularly television, to avoid addiction and allow children to complete their homework and studies. She also advised parents and guardians to carefully supervise their children’s use of electronic devices to prevent them from getting involved in networks that endanger their safety.
According to the Tanzanian government’s research, conducted in partnership with UNICEF, 67% of children aged 12 to 17 years use the internet, and 4% of them have experienced various forms of violence online.
Raphael Charles, Chairman of the Children’s Council of Tanzania, urged children to follow their parent’s and guardians’ guidelines while using social networks to avoid violence that continues to plague social media platforms.
