Stakeholders in Kenya Commit to End Child Online Exploitation and Abuse

Terre des Hommes Netherlands convened a multisector kickoff workshop for the new Safety for Children and their Rights Online (SCROL) project, dubbed “Safe Minds Online,” in Nairobi on 11th March, 2026.

The workshop was attended by senior government representatives drawn from the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO), the State Department for Children Services, the Ministry of Education, the Teachers Service Commission, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the National Police Service. Also in attendance were parents, community representatives, civil society organizations including ChildFund Kenya, and the project’s implementing partners, Childline Kenya and Life Skills Promoters.

Speaking during the inception meeting, Mr Raphael Kariuki, Terre des Hommes Netherlands Africa Regional Director, urged multisectoral collaboration to end child abuse and exploitation.

“We must strengthen policy implementation, monitoring frameworks, and awareness campaigns to reduce vulnerabilities in digital spaces actively,” he said. “We need effective cross-institutional coordination, clear reporting pathways, and rapid, decisive responses to online exploitation. Our focus must remain on the children and families at greatest risk, ensuring they have access to protective services, psychosocial support, and survivor-centered interventions.”

“We want to reach children at high risk of online exploitation, as well as families and caregivers, empowering them to foster protective home environments. We also want to reach community resource persons, local leaders, law enforcement agencies, and service providers to strengthen our referral and support pathways,”Mr  Kariuki added.

On her part, Ms Martha Sunda, Executive Director of Childline Kenya, welcomed the initiative and expressed optimism that the project will help end child exploitation.

“I am excited about this partnership because we shall leverage our collective strengths and expertise to scale up the work we’ve done over the  years in strengthening the fight against online child sexual exploitation and abuse in Kenya.”

Ms Margaret Ngotho,  Programs Manager, Education, Protection & Safeguarding at Life Skills Promoters, urged the prioritization of child participation throughout the project phase. “Children’s voices matter. Do not forget to listen to children. Children can no longer be project beneficiaries, but active agents and leaders in safety systems,” she urged.

A Call for Multisectoral Coordination

While speaking on behalf of Nairobi County Commissioner, Ms Juliet  Njue, Nairobi West Division Assistant County Commissioner, called for more parental responsibility regarding children’s digital platforms. 

“Even though parental controls exists especially while using digital platforms, experience has taught us that child abuse and exploitation are perpetrated by people who are close to them, and some are parents. Before parents post images of their children online, they must think of control measures to protect these innocent children.”

Ms Grace Musangi, Principal Prosecution Counsel at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) emphasised, “We want everyone to know online child sexual exploitation and abuse, and prevent it before we prosecute.”

Key Interventions

In Kenya, the Safe Minds Online (SCROL 2.0) project is implemented in partnership with Childline Kenya and Life Skills Promoters in Nairobi (Kibra and Dagoretti) and Kilifi (Malindi, Kilifi North, and Kilifi South) counties. This new phase builds directly upon the foundational learnings and successes of SCROL Phase I, which was successfully implemented in Nairobi, Kilifi, and Kisumu counties.

The goal of this project is to ensure children in all their diversity have the ability to protect their own mental health while online, and can seek and find support from peers and adults within their families and communities in order to better prevent and respond to all forms of Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE).

Key interventions include the formation of peer support groups for children, youth, and caregivers; trauma-informed training and group sessions with children and caregivers; the engagement of families and communities for discussion, exchange, and support; coordination with service providers to ensure access to mental health services; child-led research and advocacy; and collaboration with the government to improve policies, systems, and mechanisms.

This three-year project (2026–2028) will be implemented across 60 schools using a whole-school model. It utilises a Parent Support model (informed by caregivers’ roles research) and a Mental Health Resilience model to prevent and respond to the Sexual Exploitation of Children (SEC). The initiative is designed to directly benefit 3,300 children and engage an additional 60,000 children indirectly through established child rights clubs.

The SCROL 2.0 project has four result areas: children are empowered to make safe choices; children are cared for, protected, and have a sense of belonging; national and sub-national service providers are strengthened; and children at risk and survivors of SEC are supported and recover with dignity, justice, and compassion.