Combating child pornography
Tool not used
The director of LifeLine/Childline Namibia said most children can be exposed to sexual exploitation and abuse online.
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with LifeLine/Childline Namibia in support of the latter's online platform where child pornography and sensitive visual material in which children appear, can be reported."This platform allows anyone to report digital material that abuses children with a view to combating cybercrime. When it is reviewed and the content is found to be inappropriate, the material is then removed from online platforms. [However], we have noticed that the platform has not been used as planned since its launch," MICT chief executive Audrin Mathe said.
According to the director of LifeLine/Childline Namibia, Nicolette Bessinger, many children can be exposed to sexual exploitation and abuse online.
Research by Disrupting Harm has shown that 81% of Namibian children between the ages of 12 and 17 are internet users. Of these, 56% are online every day – mainly for school work, social media and communication.
"While many children seem to be aware of the online risks, they still communicate online with strangers or share nude photos or videos of themselves," Bessinger said.
She added that most children are abused by people they know, not strangers. "Sometimes the police do not investigate reported cases of sexual abuse of children due to limited capacity for investigations or the fact that some forms of online abuse are not recognised as legal offences."
Sensitive material featuring children can be reported at report.iwf.org.uk/en/report.