Women Community Holds Summit, Harps on Safe Internet for Children

As part of ongoing efforts to ensure children across Nigeria are protected from internet vices, Women Community in Africa (WCA), a coalition of civil society groups that addresses social issues, especially those that affect women and children in communities, has held a summit on cyber safety in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT).

The group focused the summit with the theme,” Cyber Safety: Empowering Families in the Digital Age”, on seeking a collaborative approach between educators, parents and leaders to ensure that Nigerian children are well protected from internet violence and other vices.

The WCA annual summit focuses on any social issue affecting the Nigerian child, women and families and then assemble stakeholders to seek a common front towards addressing it, and the 2024 edition held on Thursday at the NAF Conference Centre was focused on safe internet for children.

In her opening speech, Global President of WCA, Dr Adetoun Dally , said the summit was part of the group’s campaign against abuses and violence against children on the internet and to sensitise stakeholders on their roles.

According to her, the WCA is focused on addressing social issues and vices in local communities, has commenced advocacy for the safety and well-being of children on the internet.

She said WCA is an advocacy arm of Beyond Mentors Community Care Initiative (BMCCI), a gender-focused NGO devoted to social, economic and educational development and mentoring in communities.

Dally said , “today we have all kinds of platforms and we want to emphasize the need that the whole family must know how to stay safe in this digital age.Digital age is our reality and we cannot shy away from it, we are all engrossed,we are all involved.

“There is nobody on the fence because once you have your handsets, once you connect on social media to pass a message or get entertained, you are part of this digital world.

“It is unarguable that the family is a very important part of the society, is the nucleus of the society, and that is what has called for this family meeting,” she said.

In his speech,Chairman Board of Trustee of BMCCI, Mr Ademola Kasumu said the summit was an effort to urge stakeholders to wake up to the negative realities confronting children in the cyberspace.

“As we gather here today, I want to emphasize that cyber safety is not just a technical issue, but a human rights issue. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that our families, especially our children, are protected from risks and harms associated with digital world.

“The theme of this summit “Cyber Safety: Empowering Families in the Digital Age” is a call to action for all of us.

“We must recognize that the digital world is a double-edged sword that offers immense opportunities for education, connection and growth, but also poses significant risks to our privacy, security and well-being.

“As leaders, policymakers, parents and caregivers, we have a moral obligation to empower our families with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly.

“This summit is projected to explore the world of cyber safety and its inherent dangers to the young ones, and it promises to expand your mental horizon,” he said.

The summit had in attendance heads of organisations from both the public and private sectors, Civil Society Groups, members of the diplomatic community parents and students from different schools in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), among other stakeholders.

Its highpoints included interactive family sections and special presentations by secondary school students.