Child Online Protection In Cameroon : Charter For Cyberspace Safety In Gestation

Posts and Telecommunications Minister, Minette Libom Li Likeng on June 12, 2023 explained the pertinence of instituting a Charter on child protection in Cameroon to members of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the National Assembly headed by Hon. Douvaouissa Aissa of the National Union for Democracy and Progress (NUDP). The draft legal document which comes on the heels of the strong political will of the Head of State who in his end-of-year message to the nation instructed government to draw up such an instrument for the protection of children, seeks at ensuring a safe online space for them. “Children do feature among the most active and most vulnerable cyberspace users, and are thus exposed to various scourges, such as cyber harassment, bullying, personal data hacking and use, exposure to inappropriate content, radicalisation, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, which are under-regulated. This bill seeks to enhance the normative and institutional framework and gives more powers to electronic communication sector regulators to address the adverse effects of the internet and build digital confidence,” she explained. 
Prepared by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in collaboration with other related administration, the document which is divided into 49 sections envisages addressing cybercrime targeting children, that is, all persons below the age of 18. It clearly defines the role of all internet safety stakeholders and provides for the development and implementation of a national action plan on child online protection, and also defines the responsib...