At 2024 ICT Holiday Camp: MTN Cameroon reiterates move to protect children online.

It held from August 20 to August 24 at Government High School Edea, in the Sanaga Maritime Division of the Littoral Region.

Minister Minette Libom Li Likeng officially closed the ICT Holiday Camp Saturday August 24. 

According to staff of MTN Cameroon, this year’s edition marks a significant milestone in the celebration of the 8th edition of the impactful event organised by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications held under the theme: “National campaign for the promotion of cyber security culture and awareness of the responsible use of social networks”. 

The theme, according to management of MTN Cameroon, resonates deeply within the current socio-digital landscape, which is marked by alarming indicators such as moral decay on social networks. 

MTN Cameroon, the source, said has put in place the MTN Protect Child Online project in partnership with Internet Watch Foundation to enable people living in Cameroon to report child sexual abuse content.

“We are witnessing an increase in ethical breaches characterized by verbal violence, obscenity in imagery, and a troubling rise in hate speech online. These issues contribute to stigmatization and exclusion, particularly among our youth,” an MTN staff regretted.

The same source noted that considering these challenges, MTN Cameroon, in collaboration with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications engaged 1,000 children aged between eight to 18 years on the responsible use of the social media.

The camp was equally a platform to raise the awareness of the youth against online hate speech while reiterating their continuous ambition to continue to protect children online.

“As a responsible company committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Cameroon, we have for instance, launched in 2023 the MTN Skills Academy in partnership with Coursera to develop young Cameroonian skills in IT fields,” MTN Cameroon stated.

Speaking during the closing ceremony, Minister Minette Libom called on the youth to beware of the threats like cyber-bulling, cyber-harassment, disinformation, incitement to violence and hate speech.

To the member of government, with the advent of the Artificial Intelligence, AI, they are exposed to so many risks but quickly cautioned them to make good use of the technology. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3214 of Friday August 30, 2024