Windhoek
Online sexual exploitation of children could soon become a thing of the past in Namibia. Discussions on regulating the exploitation of children on the Internet are scheduled for early next year, when some very strong decisions are to be taken on the matter, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare said yesterday.
Helena Andjamba, the director of Child Welfare in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, said at a review meeting held with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) that many children in Namibia are exposed to cybercrime, while their caretakers do not know even about it.
Many a time, when children are exposed to sexual exploitation online as well as cyber abuse, they may end up committing suicide, it was said at the meeting yesterday.
A work plan on how to regulate the abuse of children online has been developed, and although the area of abuse online is new to Namibia, the ministry and the relevant stakeholders would do everything to protect children from online abuse, noted Andjamba.
“It’s a new area that we are starting to work on,” said Andjamba, who stressed the importance of protecting children even in cyberspace.