Technology firms can put measures in place to effectively stop online child sexual exploitation. [Getty Images] “I did not know that someone could just get my photo and do bad things with it. I thought it was just funny.” These haunting words from a Kenyan child reflect a sobering truth: children are navigating a digital world not designed with their safety in mind. This has to be changed. Every day, across Africa and beyond, children are being sexually exploited online. More than 300 million children fall victim to online sexual exploitation and abuse each year—an average of 10 cases every second. This “hidden pandemic,” as…
Author: By Magdalene Wanza
A silhouette of children playing in the evening at Sindo beach along the shore of Lake Victoria on June 05, 2024. [Stafford Ondego, Standard] Today is the International Day of Play. For millions of children, play isn’t a given. Play is often treated as an afterthought, something they are allowed to engage in after school work and chores. If we are truly serious about protecting children, we must be serious about protecting their right to play. Through a recent project, Time to Play by Terre des hommes Netherlands, 60 children aged 5 to 17 used art to show us something adults frequently overlook: play isn’t just fun, it’s a right and protection. When we ignore play, we overlook…