The Africa Safer Internet Day 20121 has been launched.

The Safer Internet Day is a day set aside to discuss how to make the web a safe place for everyone especially, children.

The celebration, themed “Positioning and Partnering for Child Online Protection” would be observed across Africa with the objective of helping child-focused organizations tackle and approach Child Online Protection issues holistically without having to prioritize one risk over another;  ensure a better online environment is created for all especially, children and young people and also to foster a culture of Child Online Protection with relevant stakeholders backed by policies including the children themselves.

Launching the Virtual ceremony, Executive Director of Child Online Africa, Awo Aidam Amenya intimated the partners in the fight for safer internet would develop, share and contextualize available resources to support children’s detection and management of cyberbullying situations.

“Country specific programme of activities, she shared, would be both virtual and physical including but not limited to safer internet day digital skills experience; Safer Internet Day lessons with Sango, the Mascot; supply of free educational resources and also socially distanced safer internet day.

She mentioned there would be a sign up for a safer internet day and school assembly sessions (Department of Children across Ghana and other partners in Nigeria.)

Awo Aidam Amenyah, highlighted the 2021 celebration would be keener because of the effects of COVID-19 on the world.  “Our lives have moved from physical spaces to virtual ones with the students having to do mostly online classes and workers now having to telework and hold online meetings,” she stated.

She called on governments across Africa to make a conscientious effort to partner various online protection agencies to ensure the internet is a safer place for all especially children guided by the New Child Online Protection Guidelines launched by the International Telecommunications Union in 2020.

 “As the Safer Internet Day Committee for Ghana and one of the Child Online Protection Implementation Partners, we are more than happy to be working with the African theme since it will afford all countries in Africa to team up in order to make things happen for the African Child,” she stressed.

The Africa Safer Internet Day is expected to contribute to information and knowledge sharing on Child Online Protection best practices, from governance to basic skills/tips and is expected to bring Child Protection stakeholders, both local and international, together towards securing that African Child is safe online.

Key themes that will be covered during the flash capacity building presentations on Tuesday will focus on stakeholder involvement, Child Online Protection in practice, tips for parents on Child Online Protection, tips for School Management Committees, legislative regime for effective Child Online Protection, the Role of research in Child Online Protection, among other areas.

ASID2021 partners include: National Communications Authority (NCA) Facebook (Africa) Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) Africa Digital Rights Hub (ADRH) Innovare Dimension Data Limited Africa Telecommunications Union (ATU) World Vision International-Ghana (WVI) Ministry of Communications (MoC) Safer Internet Day (SID) Africa Safer Internet Day Convenor (Thus: ITU Regional of Africa) Child Online Africa (COA).

She appreciated the funding support from the National Communications Authority, Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Facebook-Africa, Africa Digital Rights Hub, Innovare Learning Ltd and Dimension Data Limited. The Africa safer Internet Day is held on the 9^th of February every year.