Ensure that children are known, loved, protected in the digital age
What you need to know:
On this Day of the African Child, we urge everyone to recognize the importance of safeguarding children’s rights in the digital environment
As the world celebrates the Day of the African Child, Compassion International aims to promote child rights in a rapidly evolving digital environment. This year’s theme, “The Rights of the Child in a Digital Environment,” underscores the need to protect and empower children as they navigate the complexities of the digital age.
On this Day of the African Child, we urge everyone to recognize the importance of safeguarding children’s rights in the digital environment. We are dedicated to empowering children and ensuring their safety and well-being in an increasingly interconnected world.
Together, we can create a digital environment where every child’s rights are respected, and children are known, loved, and protected.
In collaboration with Frontline Church Partners (FCPs), Compassion International has established an effective child protection strategy that leverages internal online platforms such as Resolver. Resolver is an incident reporting system specifically designed to promote child protection by offering a wide range of reporting options and fostering the participation of various stakeholders.
As part of the commitment to safeguard children’s rights in the digital era, Resolver has been instrumental in addressing child abuse cases. Resolver has a hotline available in English and Luganda to facilitate reporting. This hotline ensures that anyone accessing the link or contact number can report abuse allegations.
By utilizing this user-friendly system, Compassion aims to make reporting accessible and efficient for all stakeholders involved.
Since its implementation in October 2022, Resolver has successfully processed and addressed a total of 1542 cases. These cases encompass a variety of child protection concerns, highlighting the importance of these efforts.
Among the reported cases, one was related to abduction, 129 cases involved emotional abuse, 135 cases involved exploitation, 4 cases were connected to harmful cultural practices, 1135 cases were related to sexual abuse, 135 cases were linked to physical abuse, and three cases involved violations of the organizational policy. These statistics demonstrate Resolver’s significant impact in identifying and responding to child protection issues. By promptly addressing these cases, the safety and well-being of the children is ensured.
Compassion International firmly believes parents and caregivers are vital in guiding children through the digital landscape. Compassion emphasizes children’s rights and protection that ensure their safety and well-being. In an era where online exploitation, harmful content, and cyberbullying are prevalent, parents and caregivers must actively engage with their children’s digital lives and shield them from potential dangers.
We collaborate with regulatory bodies, partners, and stakeholders in the NGO and child protection sectors, including the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Uganda Child Rights NGO Network, and the media fraternity. The goal is to raise awareness about children’s rights in the digital environment, focusing on online safety, privacy, data protection, freedom of expression, access to online opportunities, and protection from exploitation together.
We remain dedicated and committed to championing child rights in Uganda while fulfilling the mission to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.
Lenny Mugisha, National Director Compassion International.
