By Edrine Wanyama |

The Digital Rights Alliance Africa (DRAA) a loose coalition co-founded by International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) and the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and hosted by CIPESA has made a submission to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The submission which is a response to the inputs from stakeholders to inform its substantive report on Children’s Rights and Safety in the Digital Environment underscores the key risks and challenges affecting children’s rights and safety in the digital environment.

Amongst the key identified risk factors include weak data protection frameworks, rapid internet penetration and growth in technology with elevated cyber crimes, the wide digital divide, lack of child centered AI design, vulnerability of children-exposing them to heightened online sexual exploitation and low literacy and skills development.  

The submission which draws insights, practices and experiences from 11 countries across the continent including East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, Tanzania), North Africa (Algeria, Egypt), South Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe), and West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria) fronts the need to enhance child safety and protection in the age of advancing and evolving technologies.

The submission among others calls for collaborative and coordinated multi-stakeholder approaches, research and child consultation, digital literacy and wide stakeholder training and skilling if child privacy is to be assured. The stakeholders put in the spotlight include states and governments, tech companies and social media platforms, civil society, media and academia.

Please read the full submission here