Pretoria - As part of Child Protection Week, the Film and Publication Board (FPB), in partnership with the University of Free State and Child Welfare Bloemfontein, will host a dialogue on the protection of children online, on Friday.
“As part of our cyber safety campaign, we are seeking to develop an ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders, about ways to put the spotlight on existing laws that protect children,” Communications and Public Education Manager at FPB, Janine Raftopoulos, said.
“We are aware that children are victims of cyber bullying and are exposed to online content that is not suitable for their age group, and in most cases, they feel vulnerable and don’t know where to turn to for help.”
The panel members will include the South African Police Services, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, University of Free State and Child Welfare Free State.
The dialogue will focus on the current legal framework that exists in South Africa to protect children against cyber bullying and online abuse.
A 2014 Back to School Impact Assessment Survey conducted by the FPB found that there is a growing trend in premature exposure to adult content among high school children.
In the study carried out in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the North West and Western Cape provinces, it found that 63% of girls surveyed had been exposed to online pornography, compared to 58.7% of the boys surveyed.
It also found that girls are particularly targeted online for grooming and other forms of sexual exploitation by the likes of child pornography rings and paedophiles. – SAnews.gov.za
