By Boma West
The Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), FCT Chapter, has called for a child-centred and coordinated response to allegations involving the sexual exploitation of children, stressing that the safety, dignity and best interests of the affected children must remain the priority throughout the investigation and any subsequent legal proceedings.
NACTAL FCT Chapter urges relevant law enforcement, child protection and justice authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and work closely with other appropriate agencies to ensure that the children are protected and receive the necessary support.
Where investigations establish sufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing, NACTAL FCT Chapter calls for prosecution in accordance with applicable law.
The organisation also emphasises the need for strict confidentiality throughout the process. The identities, personal information, photographs, videos, locations and other details capable of identifying the children must be protected from public exposure.
Children who have already experienced abuse can suffer additional trauma when details of their experiences are repeatedly published or circulated online.
NACTAL FCT Chapter therefore urges journalists, bloggers, social media users and members of the public to exercise the highest level of responsibility by refusing to share or reproduce materials that could identify the children.
Public concern about a case does not justify exposing a child’s identity or turning their suffering into online content. The public deserves accountability, but children deserve privacy, protection and dignity.
NACTAL FCT Chapter also calls on technology companies, social media platforms and relevant service providers to cooperate with lawful investigations and strengthen measures to prevent the sexual exploitation of children through digital platforms.
Technology must not become a tool through which children are exploited for online attention, engagement or financial gain. Platforms should strengthen systems for detecting, reporting and removing exploitative material while preserving evidence required for legitimate investigations and making it available to authorised authorities in accordance with the law.
The matter should also prompt broader conversations about technology-enabled child sexual exploitation and the systems required to prevent it. It raises important questions about how abuse is produced and circulated online, how perpetrators profit from exploitative material, how such cases can be detected early, and whether existing child protection and justice mechanisms can respond quickly enough when children are at risk.
It is equally important to reject the misconception that sexual violence has a particular face, gender or setting. What matters is the conduct, the violation and the harm suffered by the child. Every allegation must therefore be addressed through due process and the full application of the law.
Children should not have to suffer abuse and then face another violation through public exposure.
They are children, not online content. They are human beings, not commodities. Their pain must never become a source of entertainment, attention or profit.
NACTAL FCT Chapter remains committed to strengthening child protection, supporting survivors and promoting a society where every child can grow up safe from sexual exploitation, abuse and trafficking.
