The Assistant Commissioner for Children Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Mondo Kyateka, has warned against increasing cases of children’s online grooming, trafficking, sexual extortion and exposure to harmful content due to unlimited internet access.
Speaking during a press conference in Kampala on Wednesday, Mr Kyateka called for stronger child protection measures to combat online sexual exploitation, urging parents, schools, the media and security agencies to work together to safeguard children in digital spaces.
He also stressed the need to strengthen child protection systems, promote digital safety, provide psychosocial support to survivors and ensure children exploited online are treated as victims deserving protection and justice rather than punishment.
The call comes amid growing concern over online child sexual exploitation, following the recent arrest of 27 girls and young women in Kampala over alleged online prostitution.
‘As internet access expands, so do the risks facing our children. We must strengthen child protection systems, promote digital safety, and ensure every child exploited online is treated as a victim in need of protection and justice-not punishment,’ Mr Kyateka said.
Executive Director of High Sound for Children, Hadijah Mwanje, said children involved in online sexual exploitation should not be criminalised because many are victims of trafficking, abuse and weak child protection systems.
‘We should treat these children as victims of exploitation, not offenders,’ Ms Mwanje said, urging government to strengthen digital safety laws, regulate children’s access to social media and ensure survivors receive psychosocial support, rehabilitation and legal assistance.
Tabitha Ssuubi of Raising Voices said parents also have a critical role to play in protecting children online. She noted that many parents hand over mobile phones to children to keep them occupied while attending to other responsibilities, without considering the risks.
‘Children often end up consuming content intended for adults because they use their parents’ phones without supervision,’ she said, urging parents to monitor children’s digital activities and guide them on safe internet use.
The Uganda Child Rights NGO Network Thematic Group on Ending Sexual Violence against Children also called for urgent action to address the growing challenge of online child sexual exploitation.
Executive Director of UCRNN, Wamala Domon, said widespread use of smartphones and early access to digital devices, especially in some international schools, has increased children’s exposure to harmful online content. He said many children create social media accounts without parental guidance and often misrepresent their ages to bypass age restrictions, exposing themselves to inappropriate and exploitative content.
‘We urged parents, schools, technology companies and government agencies to strengthen supervision, enforce age-appropriate digital safeguards and promote online safety education to protect children from exploitation,’ Mr Kyateka concluded.