Strengthening Capacity to Make the Internet Safe for Children from Sexual Exploitation
With funding from UNICEF, Emmanuel Development Association (EDA) implemented a project to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) across 15 towns in Ethiopia. The project built the capacity of teachers, parents, communities, and children themselves to prevent, identify, and respond to OCSEA through awareness raising, education, and technology-based reporting tools.
Key achievements include training 282 teachers (188 male, 94 female) and 126 PTSA members on OCSEA prevention; establishing 655 peer-to-peer education groups reaching 26,119 students (13,006 boys, 13,113 girls) with online safety messages; engaging 2,498 parents and caregivers through PTAs; training 412 CBO and FBO representatives to lead community dialogues; and conducting community conversations with 2,856 participants. Awareness materials including 1,175 t-shirts, 15,000 posters, and 15 roll-ups with OCSEA prevention messages were distributed across all 15 towns.
The project reached 37 children with disabilities and trained 55 active children on the UI report chatbot to enable them to report incidents directly to UNICEF. Through these integrated interventions, the project significantly raised awareness and created a safer digital environment for children, empowering students, families, and communities to recognize and respond to online child sexual exploitation across Ethiopia.
Key Activities & Deliverables
School-Based Training & Peer Mentorship
- Educator Capacity Building: Trained 282 school teachers (188 male, 94 female) and 126 Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) members on foundational protocols to prevent and address Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA).
- Massive Peer Reach: Established 655 peer-to-peer education groups, directly equipping 26,119 students (13,006 boys, 13,113 girls) across 15 towns with vital digital safety practices.
Caregiver & Community Mobilization
- Parental Engagement: Mobilized and engaged 2,498 parents and caregivers through existing Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) structures to bridge the digital safety conversation at home.
- Grassroots Advocacy: Trained 412 Community-Based Organization (CBO) and Faith-Based Organization (FBO) representatives, who subsequently led localized community conversations involving 2,856 active participants.
- Visibility Campaigns: Distributed physical awareness assets across all target towns, including 15,000 posters, 1,175 message-bearing t-shirts, and 15 roll-up banners.
Inclusive Reporting & Digital Reporting Tools
- Inclusion Metrics: Extended project protection mechanisms to directly reach 37 children living with disabilities.
- Chatbot Reporting Integration: Specially trained 55 highly active child advocates to navigate and utilize a UI report chatbot system, enabling them to flag and report digital safety incidents directly to UNICEF.