WATCH 24/7 (Kenya)
The Watch 24/7 project aims to support children victims/survivors of Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE) in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa. The children receive care and support through counselling, rescue, referral and education. The Watch 24/7 project is funded by the National Postcode Lottery and implemented by Terre des Hommes Netherlands and ChildLine Kenya. Watch 24/7 is the overarching program under which the Sweetie 24/7 program contributed to. We are currently redesigning this program. As soon as this further development is ready, we will inform you about this on this page.
Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
The internet offers opportunities for child development, but it also provides an anonymous platform for online child sexual exploitation (OCSE), for example through live-streaming child sexual abuse, soliciting of nude photos of children, sex-texting, grooming among others.
Being the largest easily accessible, single source of information, reference material, and resources, the Internet has been a positive catalyst for innovation, education, and economic growth, it has also enabled those who would harm children by making it easier for them to produce, access and share child sexual abuse materials.
With the increased use of technology by children in Kenya, in particular use of mobile phones and wireless internet and the popularity of cybercafés, movie shops have more and more children in contact with the online world.
Though ICT offers children enormous benefits and opportunities, one could also associate it with serious risks of harm and violence, including Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse(OCSEA). The increased connectivity has exacerbated online abuse committed against children where online tools and/or services are used.
Key Project Outcomes
VICTIMS: Children victims/survivors of OCSE are supported with child protection services
The project will provide appropriate support and care for the children survivors/victims of OCSE by ensuring they have access to psychosocial support, rescue, education, legal aid as well as health services.
SUPPLY: OCSE promoters prosecuted successfully
This involves mapping and identification of cyberdens and networks encouraging OCSE within the counties. The project will also target movie/video screening shops, private villas and cottages particularly in the coastal region where OCSE is happening as a new trend.
DEMAND: Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) have the capacity to conduct online identification of OCSE perpetrators
This involves building the capacity of LEA on OCSE to equip them with requisite skills and knowledge to handle and address OCSE cases reported to them. A software and tools to be used in conducting identification of perpetrators, investigations and gathering of evidence will be developed in close consultation and collaboration with LEAs.
Join our fight
Together, we can protect our children from online sexual exploitation. Keep an eye out on our website and social media pages for project progress updates.
Our Approach
We are committed to stopping online child exploitation in Kenya.
Children are less vulnerable to online exploitation & Survivors of online exploitation have access to care and support
The project aims to provide online safety education services and support to children victims/survivors through OCSE awareness creation through peer educators who will be involved in targeted OCSE education activities to impart relevant knowledge and information to other children in and out of school.
Psychosocial support to children through counselling, rescue, referral and reintegration to their families will also be provided. Through the collaboration with the directorate of children services (DCS) and other partners, alternative care to children in need of care and protection such as placement of children in foster families belonging perhaps to relatives or people of goodwill or even placement of children in shelters that adhere to the laid down minimum standards of alternative care will be supported.
Communities protect children from OCSE and support in identification of cyberdens
The project works with community leadership and gatekeepers to identify cyberdens/ cafes operating backrooms that anonymously encourage OCSE. Targeted sessions to be conducted on the project advisory committee (PAC), both County and Sub-County area advisory councils (AAC), local administrators involving both those under county governments such as ward and village administrators as well as their counterparts under the ministry of interior security and provincial administration such as the chiefs, nyumba kumi ambassadors and village chairmen and religious leaders to discuss the OCSE situation in their respective areas and map out these cyberdens. The information will then be gathered by the partner and shared to LEAs for investigation, arrests and prosecution.
Kenyan government,CSOs and law enforcement develop a software that facilitates tracking down, investigation, arrest and prosecution of online perpetrators
The project aims to continue working in collaboration with the Technical Working Group on Child Online Protection (TWG-COP) to ensure the National Plan of Action ( NPA) on Child Online Protection is launched, disseminated and implemented. This will help to ensure the availability of legislations to be used to prosecute online perpetrators given that the available policies and legislations have gaps and omissions as far as offender management is concerned. Further, the project through the TWG will engage the Ministry of Education to adopt and institutionalize the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) approved OCSE launched manuals/curriculum to be used to raise awareness on OCSE in schools.
The project will also support the LEAs to build their skills on addressing and combating OCSE as well as support in the development of tools and software to help in the same.