This archive report was first published on 26 July 2021.
On July 26, 2021, ChildFund Kenya kicked off a campaign to protect children and young people from online abuse, with a $100,000 grant from Google's Africa Online Safety Fund.
The project, called Tuchanuke (meaning 'Let's Wise Up'), aims to develop child-safe content that promotes learning while reducing internet-related crimes targeting children and young people.
According to UNICEF, 42% of Kenyan children and young adults between the ages of 12-17 access the internet at least twice a week, and 25% of Kenya's total internet users are unsupervised teenagers.
Speaking at the launch, ChildFund Kenya Country Director Alice Anukur emphasized the importance of collaboration and partnership in addressing online abuse: 'We are committed to tackling this enormous issue of online sexual exploitation of children going forward through joint efforts of governments, civil society, the media, and the private sector.'
The project will target several urban sub-counties in Kenya, including Starehe, Kasarani, Kiambu Central, and Kikuyu, where 800 youth, 3,000 parents/caregivers, and 30 government officials will be involved.
ChildFund will conduct research to reduce sex trafficking of children and youth through strengthening system capacity in online child protection.
