Stakeholders urged to develop safe, inclusive digital agenda for children

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has called upon all stakeholders in Malawi to scale up efforts by connecting through a truly global alliance to develop an empowering, safe and inclusive digital agenda for children.

MACRA Director General, Daud Suleiman, said this at Bingu international Convention Center (BICC) in Lilongwe on Tuesday during the commemoration of Safer Internet Day which falls on 6^th February every year.

Suleman said, this year’s theme Inspiring Change? Making a Difference, Managing Influence and Navigating Change Online aims at enhancing digital literacy and good cyber hygiene, equipping children and young people with the skills, placing children and young people’s voices at the heart and encouraging them to shape the online safety support that they receive.

“Digital literacy is an entitlement for all young people in this increasingly digital culture and this cyber hygiene will definitely equip children with the right tools and information to navigate the digital space safely and securely,” Suleman said.

He said, this year’s theme tackles young people’s perspective on new and emerging technology, how young people can use the internet to make changes for the better, the changes young people want to see online and the things that can influence and change the way young people think, feel and act online and offline.

“Every half a second, every day, a child goes online for the first time tapping into all the great opportunities the internet has to offer but also facing grave risks. It is a call for all of us to protect them from sexual exploitation, cyber bullying and the misuse of their private information,” he added.

Suleman further said, MACRA developed a National Child Online Protection Strategy 2023 to 2028 with an overall goal of providing a safe cyberspace and prevent all potential threats and harms that children encounter online and respond to those affected.

The strategy ensures that all children in Malawi are safe and empowered in the digital environment while providing a safe, secure, adaptable, child-friendly and inclusive digital environment.

Malawi police Service Head of Digital Forensics and Cyber Crimes Unit, Senior Superintendent Gladwell Kubwalo, said Malawi Police receives a lot of cases of cybercrimes targeting the youths, mostly young ladies.

He said, as police, they are doing a lot of sensitisation campaigns to young ladies oh how they can stay safe online.