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ChildFund International and the African Union Commission (AUC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to champion the creation of safe and secure online environments across the continent by leading the development and rollout of policies and laws that respond to online sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

The MoU was signed at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by H. E. Amb. Minata Samaté Cessouma, AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development and ChildFund Africa Regional Director, Chege Ngugi.

Under this agreement, the two organizations will work together to advocate for AU Member States to establish appropriate legal frameworks and legislative instruments, policies and institutional arrangements to create an enabling environment for optimal protection and advancement of children’s rights, online.

Speaking at the signing occasion, H. E. Amb. Minata Samaté Cessouma, emphasized the need for immediate action to address this emerging threat to children. “The AUC is eager to undertake and support interventions that make short-term and long-term impact to turn the tide of the growing negative influence of online exploitation and abuse of children across Africa. This is a vice that requires immediate action,” she said.

“Although increased access to the internet has several benefits to children like access to education opportunities and access to health information, it has exposed them to more dangers online, and we all have an obligation to protect our children from this rapidly growing menace. Parents, teachers, governments, policymakers, tech companies, regulators, law enforcement agencies and children must work together if we are to make substantial progress,” noted Chege Ngugi, Africa Regional Director of ChildFund.

ChildFund and the AU will also mobilize international and regional public and private partners to rally behind the call to end online exploitation and abuse of children. They will mobilize and work with key players in the IT communication space such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in this effort to marshall the requisite support and broad-based partnerships. They will further sensitize various organs and committees of the African Union such as the African Committee of Experts on the Rights of the Child and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) to promote and protect children’s rights online, facilitate and coordinate the development of an adaptable framework on ending online exploitation and abuse of children, including creating a continental platform for knowledge exchange. 

ChildFund will also work to ensure that the voices of children, civil society organizations, communities and all other stakeholders are included in efforts to end online sexual exploitation and abuse of children.   

Present during the signing ceremony were ChildFund Ethiopia Country Director Lilly Omondi, ChildFund Senior Advocacy Manger and Liaison to the Africa Union Joshua Ongwae and Nena Thundu, AU Commission Policy Officer, Social Affairs Department.