With national Child Protection Week currently under way, the Film and Publication Board (FPB) is calling on everyone to pledge to protect children online.
Predators continuously use the internet as a tool to target unsuspecting children and lure them into compromising situations that lead to their abuse online, says the FPB.
The rising challenge of exploitation of children online recently saw African regulators announce a regulation framework meant to control the massive volumes of unfiltered online content that poses potential harm to vulnerable groups such as children.
According to the FPB, online harassment is just the tip of the cyber iceberg, noting that what is most concerning are the images of child sexual abuse material and sexual conduct circulated by youth on peer-to-peer networks as well as social media.
“Sexual predators find an anonymous home on the internet, where it is easy to build a persona that is very different from reality that can be used to exploit others. Stranger danger is a mantra that caregivers should be teaching their children in the real as well as virtual world.”
Child Protection Week, an initiative of the Department of Social Development, is commemorated from 29 May to 5 June. It aims to raise awareness of the rights of children in accordance with the Children's Act of 2005.
Furthermore, it looks to mobilise all sectors and communities towards embracing the holistic development, care and protection of children.
To commemorate the prevention strategy, the FPB is this week visiting communities and schools in Mpumalanga and Northern Cape to raise awareness.
The FPB has urged communities to work together to protect children against harmful content and cyber bullying, and prioritise child protection 365 days a year.
FPB interim CEO Dr Mashilo Boloka says: “The South African government has, through the introduction of legislation such as the Films and Publications Amendment Act, ensured those who commit crimes against children using the internet face the full might of the law.
“One cannot deny that it has been a challenge in the past to prosecute such crimes and give appropriate punishment to offenders, as the pieces of legislation battle to keep pace with the rapid rate of change in the online space.”
This Child Protection Week and youth month, the FPB calls on parents, caregivers and community activists to play their part and be the moral compass that children need to steer successfully through a digital world.
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