Girls’ online safety must be prioritised
At an event to celebrate International Day of the Girl 2020, Plan International Ghana has reiterated its commitment to keeping girls safe online.
Plan International Ghana commits to supporting digital learning among children
Plan International Ghana is committed to increasing the digital literacy of the country’s children.
Mr. Benjamin Akuamoah Boateng from Plan International Ghana said, “As an organisation, we strongly believe and we are committed to ensuring that girls access information from the internet, especially about their sexuality and health rights,” he said.
He was speaking at an event to celebrate this year’s International Day of the Girl child at a school for the deaf in the Eastern Region.
Equal freedom online
For International Day of the Girl 2020, Plan International is calling for equal freedom online globally. In Ghana we are promoting digital learning and boosting girls’ confidence online as well as ensuring their safety and access to quality information.
Mr. Boateng said the organisation was promoting a petition globally for the protection of girls online, saying, “There is no way girls should feel deterred or discouraged from accessing information just because there is a lot of misinformation or disinformation on the internet.”
There is no way girls should feel deterred or discouraged from accessing information.
He said public discourse should not be focused on unnecessary things on the internet to deter young people from making use of its benefits but the discourse should be directed at discussing the usefulness of the internet and how to protect the security and safety of children.
“Yes, there are a lot of useless things there on the internet, but there is also a lot of useful information that we also need, especially for their learning, for their growth and development.”
Safer internet for girls
Assistant Superintendent of Police John Aduko, Deputy Director, Cybercrime Unit of the Ghana Police Service, expressed worry over the growing cases of cyberbullying of young girls and called for concerted efforts to tame it.
He noted that continuous public education and involvement of parents and guardians could mitigate the situation to allow children, particularly girls, to use and stay safe on the internet which has become indispensable in daily life. “We can’t do away with the internet and computers and mobile phones, we need to educate our children more about the good aspects,” he said.
Mrs. Gifty Ashun, Akuapem-Mampong North Municipal Girl Child Education Officer of the Ghana Education Service, called on parents and guardians to monitor their teenage girls closely online to help them make the best out of it to improve their academic work.
The International Day of the Girl Child is held on 11 October each year to raise awareness of the power of girls and highlight the inequalities they face.
Campaigns, Protection from violence, Gender-based violence
Related pages
