Joint efforts are needed to tackle online child sexual exploitation

The government, through the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the Directorate of Children's Services (DCS), has implemented strategies to combat OCSEA in Kenya. [iStockphoto]

The Internet offers opportunities for child development, but it also provides an anonymous platform for online child sexual exploitation (OCSEA), an emerging vice affecting children globally.

According to the 2021 Disrupting Harm in Kenya report, five to 13 per cent of internet-using children, aged 12-17, reported experiencing OCSEA in the year preceding the study. OCSEA negatively affects children's well-being. There is therefore an urgent need to protect children.