THE AFRICAN UNION
CHILD ONLINE SAFETY
AND EMPOWERMENT
POLICY
Adopted by the 44
th
Ordinary Session of the African
Union Executive Council
February 2024 - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
CHILD ONLINE SAFETY AND EMPOWERMENT POLICY
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GLOSSARY OF DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................................................ 2
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................. 4
II. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 5
III. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................... 5
III.I ACCESS TO THE DIGITAL WORLD FOR CHILDREN IN AFRICA ................................................................................ 5
III.II THE OPPORTUNITY .......................................................................................................................................... 6
III.III THE RISKS ................................................................................................................................................. 6
III.IV FACTORS INFLUENCING CHILD ONLINE SAFETY .............................................................................................. 8
III.V EXISTING FRAMEWORKS AND TOOLS FOR CHILD ONLINE PROTECTION IN AFRICA ............................................. 8
III. GUIDING PRINCIPLES ..................................................................................................................................... 10
IV. POLICY GOALS ............................................................................................................................................... 11
V. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN................................................................................................................................. 12
2
GLOSSARY OF DEFINITIONS
Term
Definition
AU Agenda 2063
The blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the
global powerhouse of the future.
AU Continental Education
Strategy for Africa (CESA)
2016-2025
The strategy aims to reorient Africa’s education and training
systems to meet the knowledge, competencies, skills,
innovation and creativity required to nurture African core values
and promote sustainable development at the national, sub-
regional and continental levels.
AU Digital Transformation
Strategy
A comprehensive ten years (2020-2030) forward looking
strategy that aims at harnessing the potential of digital
technologies, data and innovation to accelerate the
transformation of today’s Africa to the peaceful, integrated and
prosperous Africa.
Child
Any person under the age of 18, as per the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Child Sexual Abuse Material
(CSAM)
Imagery or videos which show a child in a sexualised manner,
engaged in or depicted as being engaged in explicit sexual
activity.
NB This terminology replaces the previously used term “child
pornography”, which is now widely accepted to be inaccurate
and fails to capture the harm inherent in this act.
1
Corporate Social
Responsibility
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a self-regulating
business model that helps a company be socially accountable—
to itself, its stakeholders, and the public.
Cyber-aggression
Acts of harm enacted by individuals or groups, online or through
the use of digital technology, often with the intention of causing
offense or hurt to another individual or group.
Cyber-bullying
Includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or
mean content, including personal or private information about an
individual or a group of individuals, in order to cause
embarrassment or humiliation.
Digital accessibility
Digital accessibility is the ability of a website, mobile application
or electronic document to be easily navigated and understood
by a wide range of users, including those users who have visual,
auditory, motor or cognitive disabilities.
1
See INHOPE: What is Child Sexual Abuse Material? https://www.inhope.org/EN/articles/child-sexual-abuse-material
3
Digital platform
A software-based online infrastructure that facilitates
interactions and transactions between users
Digital skills
A set of skills, tools, and knowledge necessary to use
networks, digital devices and different applications on online
media that facilitate the management of information according to
specific requirements of working environment, learning
environment, and problems solving situations.
Digital environment
All websites, services, apps and other forms of spaces accessed
using technology.
General comment No. 25
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
clarification of how the Convention on the Rights of the Child
applies in the digital environment.
Harm
A negative impact upon a person, such as financial, physical, or
emotional damage.
Online Child Sexual
Exploitation
The use of technology or the internet to facilitate the sexual
abuse of a child, including the production and sharing of child
sexual abuse material online.
Personal Data
Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural
person by which this person can be identified, directly or
indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as
name, identification number, location data, online identifier or to
one or more factors specific to physical, physiological, mental,
genetic, economic, cultural or social identity of that person.
Risk
A situation or set of factors that has the potential to cause harm.
Through the identification of ‘risks’, harm may be mitigated or
prevented.
4
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Access to the digital space in Africa is increasingly expanding, and many of those coming online are children
–defined as ‘all those under the age of 18’. It is estimated that worldwide 1 in 3 internet users is a child, and
more than 175,000 children go online for the first time every day - a new child every half second.
In Africa it is estimated that 40% of youth aged between 15-24 years can access the internet. With children
getting connected to the digital world so too the risks that the online world brings to children have grown. The
Covid-19 pandemic increasingly drew African children to the online world, with some accessing the internet
for the first time. Online risks are present 24/7 through devices that enable access to the internet. The
situation is exacerbated for children with special needs and disabilities. The international child rights
community categorises online risks to children into 4 categories – content, contact, conduct and
consumer/contract risks (4Cs).
The African Union Child Online Safety and Empowerment Policy assessed the landscape in terms of the
associated opportunities and risks in the cyberspace for African children. It outlines key guiding principles
anchoring the protection of children in the online environment, identifying key policy goals in the African
context and charting out an implementation plan to assist the African Union and its member states with the
realization of the policy goals and objectives.
When developing national policies on child online protection, policy makers should bear certain guiding
principles in mind to steer policy development. These principles have been underscored in UNCRC General
comment No. 25 (2021) on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment and the General comment
No. 7 on Article 27 of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)
articulating four guiding principles, including: i) best interests of the child; ii) non-discrimination to close the
gender-related digital divide for girls; iii) right of a child to life, survival and development; and iv) participation
of children to express their views and offer training and support for children to participate on an equal basis
with adults, anonymously where needed.
To realize child safety and empowerment, the Policy sets the following objectives and the strategic
imperatives for a comprehensive national action plan for the protection of children online, namely: institutional
capacity development; legal and regulatory frameworks; Personal data, privacy and identity protection of a
child; response and support systems against child exploitation and abuse (CSEA); corporate responsibilities
of businesses to uphold children’s rights; training and education across the value chain; raising public
awareness and communications of online risks; research and development in the child safety area; and most
importantly fostering international cooperation to exchange good practices and lessons learned.
Amongst the key recommendations of the policy is the need to affirm strong commitments to child online
safety at the highest level in government; strengthening criminal justice frameworks to enable law
enforcement and the judiciary to effectively tackle child online safety related offences including child online
sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA); promoting and supporting accessible digital education in schools and
for parents, guardians and community leaders; developing and maintaining databases to pool resources and
information exchange including hotlines for reporting and victim support; and establishing an African child
online resource fund and program.
The Policy calls for a whole society approach to be employed for implementation due to the cross-sectoral,
cross-border and transnational nature of the digital environment necessitating strong national, regional, and
international cooperation to mitigate the risks arising from the misuse of digital technologies, to ensure that
all stakeholders, including States, businesses, and other actors, effectively respect, protect and fulfil
children’s rights in relation to the digital environment. The need for gathering rigorous data that would lead
to development of future evidence-based interventions that strengthen online safety for children with proper
attention to all aspects of child rights that are impacted in this digital age. The policy, and its proposed
implementation plan, has been designed to assist African Member States with the development of national
child online safety and empowerment policies as well as paving the way for a safer and nurturing online
environment for children to ensure an inclusive digital society and economy with active participation of Africa’s
future generation, the children.
5
I. INTRODUCTION
The digital world holds great promise for Africa and in particular for our children – but alongside its
myriad opportunities it also presents risks. Children, defined as all those under the age of 18, have
established rights grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
2
– ratified by every country
on the African continent - that must be protected, online
3
and offline equally. As more children go online
in Africa – a trend promoted by the global campaign of broadband access for all and hastened by the
Covid-19 lockdown and curfew measures – it is critical to ensure the digital environment is a space
where children can thrive.
It is in this context that the African Union (AU) Commission is spearheading the development of an AU
Child Online Safety and Empowerment (the Policy). The Policy will provide a strong framework for the
implementation of children’s existing rights in the digital environment, including by the private sector and
other stakeholders making products or offering services likely to be accessed by children. It will support
Member States to maximize the benefits of children’s use of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) while minimizing the risks, always prioritising the best interests of the child.
The AU Child Online Safety (COS) and Empowerment Policy seeks to identify gaps and areas where
harmonisation is needed to implement children’s rights address cross-border challenges. It will provide
national policy-makers and regulators with a framework that ensures ICT providers respect children’s
rights; equip children, parents/guardians, educators, social service agencies/organizations, industry,
and law enforcement officials in Africa with the right tools and skillsets to ensure children’s safety in the
online environment; and lay the groundwork for ongoing research and evidence-gathering to ensure the
contextualisation of implementation to the African context. This Policy provides:
1. A common set of principles, goals and assessment criteria for COS, based on international best
practice;
2. A multi-stakeholder framework
4
for national policy-makers to implement COS policies;
3. A set of priority actions for implementation at AU level.
The Policy should be understood and implemented in conjunction with other related AU strategies and
legislation, notably the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
5
and the African Union
Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data.
6
II. BACKGROUND
Access to the digital world for children in Africa
Access to the digital world in Africa is expanding, and many of those coming online are children. It is
estimated that worldwide 1 in 3 internet users is a child,
7
and more than 175,000 children go online for
the first time every day - a new child every half second. In Africa it is estimated that 40% of youth aged
between 15-24 years can access the internet.
Children are among the most enthusiastic explorers of technology. In a study conducted in South Africa
8
in 2016 targeting children aged 9-17 and their parents found that:
2
UN Commission on Human Rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child, 7 March 1990:
https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx
3
How the Convention applies in the digital environment is set out in UNCRC General comment No. 25 (2021):
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRC/C/GC/25&Lang=en
4
In compliance with UNSDG 2020, Common Minimum Standards for Multi-stakeholder Engagement:
https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/f iles/2020-05/UNSDG-Common-Minimum-Standards-for-Multi-Stakeholder.pdf
5
https://au.int/en/treaties/african-charter-rights-and-welfare-child
6
https://au.int/en/treaties/african-union-convention-cyber-security-and-personal-data-protection
7
UNICEF, The State of the World's Children 2017: https://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2017
8
Global Kids Online, South African Kids Online: A glimpse into children’s internet use and online activities (2016):
http://globalkidsonline.net/southafrica/
6
▪
70.4% of the children interviewed used the internet as opposed to 65.8% of the interviewed
parents;
▪
46.0% of those that used it could access the internet whenever they wanted.
As expansion into the digital world continues, the need for Africa to consider child safety by design and
default becomes ever more urgent.
The opportunity
Digital accessibility furnishes children with enormous opportunities and diverse development outcomes,
based on its usage. Access to the internet can help children stay connected, improve their digital literacy,
enhance educational emancipation and diversify their livelihoods. With increasing digitalization, children
are now able to access e-education tools, connect with peers and utilize the enormous potential the
internet provides to them. The digital environment can positively contribute to children’s rights, including
the rights to be heard, to express themselves, to associate with others, to enjoy their privacy, to seek
information, and to play, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The
2016 South African study found that socialising, especially via instant messaging, learning and school-
work were popular activities among internet users with 95.6% reporting that they sometimes or always
had fun when they went online.
The use of digital technology is a key driver of change that fosters the realization of the African Union
Digital Transformation Strategy,
9
the AU Agenda 2063 Aspirations,
10
the Africa’s Agenda for Children
2040: Fostering an Africa Fit for Children;
11
and partly underpins the realization of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
12
Improving access to affordable data and devices for children is critical to
delivering on the promised opportunity.
The risks
As children access the digital world so too the risks that the online world brings to children have grown.
The Covid-19 pandemic has increasingly drawn African children to the online world, with some
accessing the internet for the first time. Online risks can be present 24/7 through devices that enable
access to the internet. The situation can be exacerbated for children with special needs and disabilities.
The international child rights community categorises online risks to children into 4 categories – content,
contact, conduct and consumer/contract risks, as outlined in figure 1 below:
9
https://au.int/en/documents/20200518/digital-transformation-strategy-africa-2020-2030
10
https://au.int/en/agenda2063/goals
11
African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of The Child (ACERWC), Nov 2016:
https://au.int/sites/default/files/newsevents/agendas/africas_agenda_for_children-english.pdf
12
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
7
Figure 1: The 4Cs, from Children Online: Research and Evidence 2021
13
The 2016 South Africa study found:
▪
One in three child participants had been exposed to hate speech (34.5%) and to gory images
(32.7%) online.
▪
More than one in five of all child internet users (21.9%) reported having been treated in a hurtful
or nasty way in the past year (either face to face or online).
▪
41.2% said that they had at least once in their lifetime had contact with someone online that they
had never met face to face before.
▪
54.0% of those who had first met someone online indicated that they went ahead to meet them
face to face.
▪
When asked if they had seen any sexual images online in the past year, 51.2% of child
participants reported that they had and one in three had received a sexual message (30.5%).
One in five (20.5%) child participants had been sent a message they did not want with
advertisements for or links to X-rated websites, 19.2% opened a message or a link in a message
that showed pictures of naked people or of people having sex that they did not want and 20.3%
had seen or received a sexual message, image or video about someone else that they did not
want.
13
https://doi.org/10.21241/ssoar.71817
8
The findings of a similar study done in Ghana in 2017 mirrored those obtained from the South African
study.
14
Further studies from Kenya have also highlighted the mental health
15
and sexual exploitation
risks
16
that are rapidly increasing for children.
Factors influencing child online safety
Many factors combine to influence child safety online.
1. The global nature of the digital environment brings with it shared challenges and
opportunities for action. The tech sector operates simultaneously across many different legal
jurisdictions. The development of shared international approaches to the regulation of the private
sector and a cross-border community of best practice for education, enforcement and victim
support amongst others, can provide effective responses.
2. The design of ICT products and services is critical, as commercial interests, if not adequately
adjusted in view of the rights of the child, can create or reinforce risks to children’s safety. Safety
by design strategies backed up by law have been found to be a fundamental driver toward tech
sector product safety – particularly in relation to children.
3. Children’s overall well-being affects how they engage with the internet. Evidence shows that
children who are vulnerable offline are also more likely to be vulnerable online, hence protective
offline factors can also reduce exposure to online risks. Offline factors that create vulnerabilit y
or protection influence how children engage with the online environment. Local, offline
interventions are therefore also required as part of a holistic strategy.
4. Similarly, knowledge and support from parents/guardians, educators and peers can help
children to become more confident internet users.
17
Some exploratory studies suggest that social
support and children’s positive relationships with the people around them can act as protective
factors, arguing that protecting children online is more efficient when combined with supportive
parenting offline.
Existing frameworks and tools for child online protection in Africa
There are national, regional and continental initiatives, frameworks and tools relevant to child online
safety in Africa. They are however focused largely on the most heinous of abuses, notably child sexual
exploitation and abuse, and in particular on victims’ rights. The wider context and in particular the role
of companies and system design is a prominent gap.
1. National
While roughly 52%
18
of African countries have some sort of data and privacy protection legislations in
place (including limited protection in other laws), the majority of those legislations are either limited in
scope and applicability to children’s online environment or yet to be fully enforced. Child-focused data
14
Risks and Opportunities related to Children’s Online practices, Ghana country report 2017. This study targeted 3000 children aged
between 9 - 17 and 1000 guardians/parents. https://www.unicef.org/ghana/media/1791/f ile/Risks%20and%20Opportunities%20-
%20Child%20Online%20Protection.pdf
15
Kenya Paediatric, Adolescents in the Digital Age: https://www.kenyapaediatric.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Adolescents-in-the-digital-
age-Dr.-Claire-Majisu.pdf ;
16
Terre des Hommes, The Dark Side of the Internet for Children. Online Child Sexual Exploitation in Kenya – A Rapid Assessment Report
(2018): https://www.datocms-assets.com/22233/1600704755-tdh-nl-ocse-in-kenya-research-report-feb-2018.pdf
17
See the South African study for statistics on parents impressions of the children‘s internet experiences, and on children‘s likelihood of
communicating with their parents about online issues.
18
UNCTAD Data Protection and Privacy Legislation Worldwide: https://unctad.org/page/data-protection-and-privacy-legislation-worldwide
9
protection regulation has strong potential to address many of the risks faced by children
online.
19
Many countries broadly address sexual exploitation or ban pornography in general; however, these laws
are not enough as they do not specifically address the criminal aspects of various forms of online child
sexual exploitation and abuse. Furthermore, the lack of a harmonized definitions, approach and
legislative measures among Member States, pose a considerable challenge in making sure offences
are identified as well as offenders tracked – including outside national boarders – and eventually brought
to justice.
There are already several examples of child online safety initiatives across Africa to draw inspiration
from. Some countries have documented safety initiatives such as Kenya,
20
Ghana,
21
Uganda
22
and
Zambia.
23
Expert organizations exist across Africa to guide thought on online safety, including the Africa
Digital Rights Hub,
24
CIPESA
25
and Research ICT Africa
26
. Finally, there are examples of legislation
within Africa to guide policy-making: Ghana’s Cybersecurity Act
27
criminalized online sexual conduct
with children and imposed obligations on telecommunications services; and Rwanda has a well-
developed policy on child online protection,
28
together with a detailed five-year action plan.
2. Regional
At the regional level, several child protection policies and legal frameworks are in place, inter alia: EAC
Child Policy
29
& Framework for Strengthening Child Protection Systems in the East African
Community
30
, SADC’s Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage
31
and in 2019 ECOWAS adopted a
Child Policy and its Strategic Action Plan (2019-2023). Once again, the lack of harmonized regional
frameworks is a major stumbling block for a coherent approach to child online safety on the continent
and ultimately across the globe.
Once again, these laws reflect pre-digital safety concerns and do not extend to a more holistic and
systemic approach to child online safety
3. Continental
At the continental level, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child was adopted in 1990
and entered into force in 1999. An African Union Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the
Child (ACERWC) was established. The Committee’s functions include the promotion and protection of
the rights enshrined in the Charter. The Committee in 2019 adopted a declaration on preventing and
ending online Child Sexual Exploitation in Africa.
32
19
The positive impact of robust data protection rules is evidenced by the changes made by tech companies in order to comply with the UK’s
Age Appropriate Design Code, which came into force in 2021: “Children are better protected online in 2022 than they were in 2021” - ICO
marks anniversary of Children’s code, Information Commissioner’s Office, 2
nd
September 2022
20
ITU, Status on Child Online Safety Initiative in Kenya: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Documents/ChildOnlineSafetyInitiative_Kenya.pdf
21
Ghana, Be cyber smart - Tips to keep children safe online (7-10 years):
https://home.kpmg/gh/en/home/insights/2020/04/Be%20cyber%20smart%20tips%20to%20keep%20children%20safe%20online%207-
10%20years.html
22
www.stopit.ug
23
www.stopit.ac.zm.
24
https://africadigitalrightshub.org
25
https://cipesa.org
26
https://researchictafrica.net
27
Ghana Cyber Security Act – Act 1038, 2020
28
Rwanda Child Online Protection Policy, 2019
29
EAC Child Policy, 2016: http://repository.eac.int/bitstream/handle/11671/2013/EAC%20Child%20Policy.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
30
EAC Framework for Strengthening Child Protection Systems, 2017:
f ile:///C:/Users/suliemana/Downloads/EAC%20Framework%20Child%20Protection%202018.pdf
31
SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage, 2016: https://www.childrenandaids.org/node/1139
32
https://acerwc.africa/sites/default/f iles/2022-07/ACERWC-33nd-Session-Draft-Report-English-Final-1.pdf
10
The African Union Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention),
33
has content related offences on child pornography incorporated in its articles. As such, there will be a
looming requirement to introduce an amendment to the Convention to support the full realization of the
rights of the child in the digital environment and protect children against all forms of online violence and
harms.
There are also toolkits to support children safety online such as those of Child Online Africa.
34
III. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
When developing national policies in child online protection, policy makers should bear certain guiding
principles in mind to steer policy development. These principles, which underpin also this continental
policy, fall into two categories: the application of children’s established rights, and accounting for cross-
cutting issues.
1. Apply children’s established rights
The UNCRC General comment No. 25 (2021) on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment
and the General comment No. 7 on Article 27 of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and
Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) share four guiding principles:
a) Best Interests of the Child: Member States are encouraged to ensure that, in all actions
regarding the provision, regulation, design, management and use of the digital environment,
the best interests of every child is a primary consideration. In considering the best interests
of the child, all children’s rights must be regarded, including their rights to seek, receive and
impart information, to be protected from harm and to have their views given due weight, and
ensure transparency in the assessment of the best interests of the child and the criteria that
have been applied.
b) Non-discrimination: Member States are urged to take proactive measures to prevent
discrimination on the basis of race, colour, national origin, citizenship, ethnicity, profession,
political opinions, and any other opinions, and health including HIV status, disability, age,
religion, culture, marital status, socio-economic status, status as a refugee, migrant, or any
other status, sex, gender, or any other factor that could lead to discrimination against them.
Specific measures will be required to close the gender-related digital divide for girls and to
ensure that particular attention is given to access, digital literacy, privacy and online safety.
c) Right to life, survival and development: Member States are exhorted to take all
appropriate measures to protect children from risks to their right to life, survival and
development.
d) Participation of children: Member States are encouraged to promote awareness of, and
access to, digital means for children to express their views and offer training and support for
children to participate on an equal basis with adults, anonymously where needed. When
developing legislation, policies, programmes, services and training on children’s rights in
relation to the digital environment, Member States are urged to involve children, listen to their
needs and give due weight to their views. They should ensure that consultative processes
are inclusive of children who lack access to technology or the skills to use it.
33
AU Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection, 2014: https://au.int/sites/default/f iles/treaties/29560-treaty-0048_-
_african_union_convention_on_cyber_security_and_personal_data_protection_e.pdf . The Convention has not yet entered into force as so
far 10 Member States of the required 15 have ratif ied the Malabo Convention
34
https://toolkits.childonlineafrica.org
11
2. Account for cross-cutting issues
When it comes to the more practical drafting work, policy makers must also assess efforts to address
the following cross-cutting issues:
a) Identifying risk and mitigating harm: The first priority in child online protection must be to
clearly identify the source of harms to children online and establish effective mechanisms for
mitigating harms.
b) Promoting access, accessibility and inclusion: After addressing harms, it is safe and
beneficial to children’s enjoyment of their rights to expand access to the online world – to
more children, to children with specific accessibility needs, and to all groups of children
equally.
c) Building a chain of responsibility and collaboration: To continually protect and support
children online, an ongoing responsibility should be placed upon the appropriate body to
manage continuing efforts across relevant stakeholders.
d) Integrating child-centred design: After developing policy to make the existing digital
environment safer and more supportive, efforts can turn to future-proofing the regulation of
the digital environment to require that children’s rights and needs be considered in the
development of online services.
e) Ensuring effectiveness: Finally, there must be continued review of the policy to ensure it is
both working as intended and responding to new and developing concerns for children in the
online world.
IV. POLICY GOALS
Taking children’s rights and cross cutting issues on board, the African Union’s Child Online Safety and
Empowerment Policy establishes the following goals across ten policy action areas:
1. Institutional capacity: To identify and mobilise the institutional actors (at continental, regional
and national levels) to lead and contribute to a Child Online Safety Steering Committee and a
stakeholder group of experts to cover all areas of the child online safety policy. To provide
adequate resourcing, leadership, and institutional capacity to ensure effective action and
cooperation.
2. Legal and regulatory frameworks: To strengthen and re-align the continental, regional and
national legal and regulatory regimes related to child online safety, and to strengthen the capacity
and capability of law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies in the child online safety field
including their capacity to collaborate with other sectors, in particular the ICT sector.
3. Personal data and identity: To recognise the benefits of and respond to the current and
emerging threats to privacy, identity and the agency of children in the digital world posed by the
use of data including personal data, biometrics and automated decision making.
4. Response and support systems: To establish a coordinated multi-stakeholder framework to
tackle risks for children online, in particular child exploitation and abuse (CSEA): including
effective legal and regulatory enforcement mechanisms, prevention, remedies and access to
expert advice on child online safety.
5. Business and children’s rights: To promote child-centred design, minimum standards,
industry agreements, adoption of best practice and cultural awareness and resourcing of child
online safety through regulation and frameworks that relate to corporate responsibility.
6. Training: To ensure that all those involved with services relating to children, including
government, law enforcement, justice, health and wellbeing, politicians, and civil servants, as
well as those designing technology, have a good understanding of child online safety and
children’s best interests.
7. Education: To promote the positive use of digital technology as a source of entertainment,
information and learning for children in a safe environment.
12
8. Public awareness and communications: To raise awareness of all child online safety issues
across all sectors of the community, in order to prevent likely harms and promote positive internet
use.
9. Research and development: To ensure a holistic, evidence-based and up to date approach to
child online safety.
10. International cooperation: To ensure strong collaboration between stakeholders, at the
continental level, as well as with other external national, regional, and global organisations and
players to share best practice.
V. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
The following Implementation Plan sets out practical actions to advance towards the above goals. It
includes actions to be implemented at the level of the African Union, as well as a framework for regional
and national policy makers to design and deliver coordinated and effective mechanisms that are relevant
in their specific context.
35
The Implementation Plan should be seen as complementary to efforts to
enhance access to data and devices for children and those who support children’s online safety and
empowerment.
Delivery on the Implementation Plan will be coordinated by a newly established African Union Child
Online Safety Steering Committee, which will also be charged with regularly reviewing and updating the
Plan, in order to adapt to learnings within the context of its implementation and evolving international
best practice.
For each of the action areas, the African Union Commission will assess gaps and develop
recommendations to be taken forward as part of the implementation plan for this policy or put to the
African Commission for further action; and develop, share and maintain a database of best practices
and resources. For the development of tools and resources, care will be taken to consider existing
assets from national, international or multilateral environments that can be refocused on the African
context.
To ensure efficient and smooth implementation of the key actions contained in the Implementation Plan,
he African Union Commission shall collaborate / coordinate with relevant African and regional
institutions / organizations / partners to implement the various aspects of the Action Plan.
Goal
#
Governance
1
Affirm public commitment to
child online safety at the
highest level
Ministerial Declaration & High-Level launch event for the AU Child Online Safety &
Empowement Policy [2023]
1
Establish African Union Child
Online Safety &
Empowerment Steering /
Oversight Committee
The African Union Child Online Safety & Empowerment Steering/Oversight
Committee will be responsible for coordinating the implementation and review of
the AU Child Online Safety & Empowerment Policy, and will serve as a focal point
for regional and international cooperation. The Steering/ Oversight Committee will
bring together designated Regional and National COS focal points and
representatives of the AU authorities responsible for the following policy areas:
education, health, justice, consumer protection, ICT, data protection,
cybersecurity, law enforcement, family and children's services. It will include a
selection of African and international experts that between them cover the ten
35
Tools for the elaboration of more detailed and tailored regional or national policies can be found
in the Child Online Safety Toolkit: https://childonlinesafetytoolkit.org
13
policy areas, plus children’s rights and the cross cutting issues. It will meet at least
quarterly. The AU Secretariat will provide the secretariat for the Steering
Committee.
1, 9
Establish African Union Child
Online Safety &
Empowerment Stakeholder
Group or groups
The Child Online Safety & Empowerment Stakeholder Group will provide expertise
and implementation support to the steering Committee. It will be made up of
professionals and experts, including enforcement professionals, business, third
sector, children’s rights organisations, educational institutions, parents/carers and
academia. It will include a core group of Stakeholders as well as stakeholders
invited to participate for a given policy area. Its consulatative function can be
complemented by open calls for evidence. Child participation should be ensured
across all activities. This group is intended to be an expert resource for the Steering
Committee, not a second steering group with decision making powers.
1
Define performance
indicators and evaluation
The inaugural in-person meeting of the African Union Child Online Safety &
Empowerment Steering Committee will agree a process for the implementation of
this Plan (including prioritisation and resourcing of activities), Key Performance
Indicators, evaluation mechanisms, reporting structures and review mechanisms
for this Plan and Policy as a whole. The Steering Committee will designate an
Accountable Authority (person, institution, body) for each action in this Plan and
allocate the necessary human and financial resources to successfully complete the
task envisioned.
Goal
#
Legal frameworks
2, 3,
4, 5
Develop a harmonized legal
framework for children's
online privacy and safety by
design and default, and
enforcement mechanisms
The African Union Commission shall assess gaps in the current legal and
regulatory regime for African children against international best practice and
develop a harmonised legal framework for the protection of children’s privacy and
safety online grounded in children's rights and the African Charter on the Rights
and Welfare of the Child. This legal framework will set out:
(1)
strong protections for children’s data, and
(2)
an outcomes-based safety-by-design regime.
It will cover all digital products and services likely to be accessed by children and
ensure a high level of protection of children's data by design and default through
age-appropriate design, including by requiring businesses to implement age
assurance (if necessary), conduct risk assessments covering the 4 Cs, adhere to
the highest available international standards and codes of practice and be
transparent, including by providing access to data for researchers. Enforcement
should be ensured by (an) independent supervisory authority/ies, with sufficient
resources for the required task.
2, 4
Strengthen criminal justice
frameworks to effectively
tackle child online safety-
related offences, including
CSEA
The African Union Commission shall aspire to provide guidance on how criminal
laws and procedures relating to child online safety (including the investigation,
prosecution and sentencing of online offences that violate children's rights or
impair their physical, mental or moral development) can be harmonised and
strengthened in line with international standards and best practices. Criminal laws
concerning child online safety should be developed in light of all children’s rights,
including their rights to be heard and to participation, and should ensure the
protection of children who themselves come into conflict with the law. Criminal
justice systems should ensure timely access to justice, including through effective
support and reporting mechanisms for victims, and adequate resourcing of
investigation and response services.
2, 4,
5, 7
Develop and implement a
harmonized age-rating
classification
The African Union shall encourage the development and adoption of a harmonized
age-rating classification for commercial content, public service media and games
and activities online that reflects the evolving capacities of children.
2, 10
Consider participation in
international legal
frameworks for child online
safety
The African Union Commission shall assess gaps in regional and international
participation of existing instruments that promote child online safety, and present
recommendations to all Member States.
14
Goal
#
Capacity-building, training
and pooling of resources
2, 3,
4, 5,
6, 10
Stengthen the capacity of
regulators for the oversight
and enforcement of child
online privacy and safety
legal frameworks
The African Union Commission shall promote exchange of best practice, develop
recommendations for capacity-building, develop and roll-out a training module for
ICT regulators covering:
(3)
Children's rights in the digital environment (drawing on the UNCRC
General comment No. 25 and resources developed by e.g. the ITU)
(4)
Data Privacy
(5)
Safety by design (covering the existing standards, processes and tools
that support implementation and enforcement)
(6)
Protections and procurement standards for ed tech and technology used
in schools
(7)
AI Oversight (based on the four-step model of children’s rights respecting
AI oversight)
2, 4,
6, 10
Strengthen the capacity of
law enforcement and criminal
justice agencies
The African Union Commission shall promote exchange of best practice, develop
recommendations for capacity-building, develop training materials and roll-out
targeted Train the Trainers programmes for law enforcement and other criminal
justice practitioners for child online safety covering:
(1)
Privacy and data protection mechanisms
(2)
Child safeguarding and prevention of offences
(3)
How to recognise and investigate offending behaviours
(4)
Prosecution and sentencing
(5)
Offender management
(6)
Victim support
4, 6,
7 8,
10
Strengthen the capacity of
professionals working
directly with children
The African Union Commission shall promote exchange of best practice, develop
recommendations for capacity-building, develop training materials (and
educational courses for relevant degree programmes) and roll-out targeted Train
the Trainers programmes for professionals and volunteers who work with children
in settings including education, health and social services, covering:
(1)
How child online safety relates to their particular role
(2)
How to develop and implement a child online safety policy in a given
setting
(3)
How to support vulnerable children
(4)
How to recognise and understand offending behaviour
(5)
How to report offences
(6)
How to provide access to victim support
2, 3,
4, 5,
6, 9,
10
Develop and maintain
databases to pool resources
and information exchange
The African Union Commission shall develop and maintain databases for the
sharing of information, resources and best practice, including the tracking of
breaches of children's rights as well as identified harms, and for cooperation on
law enforcement. These databases will be renewed, reviewed and shared on a
regular basis.
Goal
#
Awareness, education and
hotlines
3, 4
5, 6,
7, 8,
10
Promote and support
accessible digital education
in schools
The African Union Commission shall promote exchange of best practice and
develop education materials and an education programme to promote child online
safety and empowerment in schools. The programme, which should be modulable
to local circumstances and introduced as part of the standard school curriculum,
should aim to help children develop digital skills and empower them to build
respectful communities. It should be holistic and cover data and media literacy,
alongside safeguarding issues. It should promote the positive use of digital
technology, sexuality and consent, and will consider the needs of all children,
regardless of gender, age, income or background.
15
4, 5,
6, 7,
8
Promote and support
education for parents, carers
and community leaders
The African Union Commission shall promote exchange of best practice and
develop education materials and programmes for exchanges and awareness -
raising among parents, carers and community leaders working direcly with or
responsible for child online safety and empowerment. Consultations with families
and children are needed to identify issues, solutions and ways of raising
awareness of child online safety in an effective way in the community.
7, 8
Develop and maintain a
child-friendly public portal for
online safety
The African Union Commission shall promote the creation of a child-friendly and
accessible public portal for online safety and digital engagement, covering the full
range of child online safety issues as set out in this policy. Targeted messages and
materials should be designed in consultation with children, young people and
parents/carers.
7, 8
Public awareness campaign
around Africa Safer Internet
Day
The African Union Commission shall coordinate (including with the ITU) a public
awareness campaign around the issues set out in this policy on the occasion of
Africa Safer Internet Day.
2, 4,
10
Support and promote
hotlines for reporting and
victim support
The African Union Commission shall promote exchange of best practice (including
with One Stop Centres), develop recommendations for capacity-building and
support the set up and promotion of comprehensive hotline structures (online and
telephone) for incident reporting and victim support. These hotlines will be fully
resourced and volonteers receive adequate training. It is the intention to build on
the knowledge and practice of existing hotlines operating in other jurisdictions and
to make bilateral ‘twinning’ agreements that ensure initial and ongoing support
across jurisdictions.
5, 6
Promote industry best
practice for COS
The African Union Commission shall promote awareness of ICT industry
professionals of children's rights and the issues covered by this policy, best
practices and tools for compliance. The Commission shall encourage the
promotion and sharing of COS best practices by African Member States
Goal
#
Research
9, 10
Establish an African COS
reseach fund and
programme
The African Union Commission shall establish a central research fund and develop
a research programme to provide the data and evidence necessary for the
implementation and updating of this policy. The programme will support researc h
and data collection at the national, regional and continental level to support
monitoring and evaluation of child online safety measures. It will promote high
research standards, the establishment of national centres of excellence, sharing
of data and resources and cooperation between researchers, including at the
international level. Initial and regular gap analysis will help to ensure resources are
prioritised in areas of biggest need and to avoid unnecessary duplication. The
resources from this fund should also focus on ensuring African Union Member
States benefit from the research programes of multilateral, regional and other
states – including by supporting the engagement of domestic researc h
programmes with colleagues and programmes across the globe.
9, 10
Develop and maintain
research database
The African Union Commission shall develop and maintain a central repository for
child online safety research. This database will include all research conducted
under the African COS research programme as well as provide a portal for
researchers to access relevant international academic work in this area. It will also
promote the sharing of best practice in COS innovation, responsible research,
resources and cooperation among African researchers. This research base will
also act as a resource for international researchers in order that the African
perspective is kept in mind.
