Theophilus Botchway
The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has called on the media to intensify public education on online child abuse and help protect children from the growing threats associated with the digital space.
The Authority said children were increasingly exposed to cyberbullying, grooming, sexual exploitation, harmful content, privacy violations and other forms of abuse due to their growing use of social media, gaming platforms and messaging applications.
The Principal Manager of the Law Enforcement Liaison Unit of CSA, Theophilus Botchway, made the call during a two-day media training organised under the National Community Media Cyber Capacity Building Project (NCMCCBP), Kumasi Cohort.
The training was aimed at equipping media practitioners with the knowledge and skills to report effectively on cybersecurity, cybercrime and the protection of children online.
Mr. Botchway said the media had a critical role to play in creating awareness about the dangers children faced online while ensuring that reporting on such cases did not further expose victims to harm.
He explained that the rapid growth of digital technology had created opportunities for education, communication and development but had also provided criminals with new avenues to exploit vulnerable people, particularly children.
He therefore urged journalists to educate parents, children and the general public on online grooming, sextortion, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and other emerging threats.
Legal Protection
Mr. Botchway pointed to provisions under the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038), which criminalise various forms of online sexual exploitation and abuse involving children.
He cited Section 62, which criminalises conduct involving indecent images or photographs of children, including taking, producing, procuring, publishing, streaming or possessing such material.
Section 63, he said, also prohibits the use of online services or electronic devices to seduce, solicit, lure, groom or entice a child for unlawful sexual conduct.
He further cited Section 65, which addresses cyberstalking of children in circumstances involving attempts to arrange sexual activity.
According to him, the provisions demonstrated that protecting children online was not simply a matter of responsible parenting or technology use, but also a legal, human rights and public safety concern.
Responsible Reporting
The CSA official cautioned journalists against sensationalising cases involving children, warning that careless reporting could further violate the privacy and dignity of victims.
He urged the media to protect the identity and personal information of child victims and avoid publishing details, images or materials that could expose them to further abuse, stigma or trauma.
He said the media must strike a balance between informing the public and protecting vulnerable victims.
Mr. Botchway also called on journalists to practise preventive journalism by using cybercrime reports as opportunities to educate the public on how criminals operate and how potential victims could protect themselves.
He said stories on online fraud, phishing, impersonation, mobile money scams, romance scams and sextortion should explain the warning signs and steps victims could take to seek help.
Fight Fake News
He further urged media organisations to strengthen fact-checking mechanisms to prevent misinformation and disinformation from spreading through their platforms.
Mr. Botchway noted that false information was increasingly being circulated through social media, fake websites, manipulated videos, fabricated screenshots and artificial intelligence-generated content.
He advised journalists to verify sources, independently confirm claims and authenticate photographs and videos before publication.
He also urged them to distinguish allegations from established facts, give affected persons the opportunity to respond and promptly correct errors when they occur.
He said the responsibility was particularly important during elections, emergencies, communal tensions and financial crises, when false information could spread rapidly and cause serious harm.
Mr. Botchway stressed that the media remained a powerful tool for prevention and public education and should therefore use its influence to create a safer digital environment, particularly for children.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi