On 28 and 29 April 2022 the Children’s Rights Unit, at the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (the Centre), in collaboration with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (Kenya office), hosted a stakeholder meeting and training workshop on Children’s Privacy Rights in Africa. During the event, the Center also launched its study on children’s right to privacy in the digital sphere in Africa. The event was attended by key stakeholders from various countries across the continent and representatives from the African and UN Children’s Committees.
Succinctly, the study provides, in detail, the nature and scope of children’s right to privacy in the digital sphere in Africa, an assessment of the effectiveness of legal frameworks for the protection of children’s privacy in Africa, it identifies gaps in the protection and implementation of children’s privacy online, it highlights good practices in Africa and beyond relating to the protection of children’s rights in the digital sphere and makes practical recommendations to policymakers, technology companies and other key stakeholders on the measures to adopt to protect children’s privacy during their interaction with technology and the internet in a manner that limits their exposure to harmful content or activity.
The method of the study is predominantly analytical and based on a human rights-based approach to children’s privacy rights in a digital sphere in Africa. The study focuses on relevant national practice, regional and international child rights instruments, primary documents such as laws and policies, documents produced by treaty bodies, national legislation, and case law. It includes a systematic analysis of selected countries, from all sub-regions) in Africa to augment the findings, and to ensure a representative picture of the status of protection of children’s privacy rights in the digital sphere. The study is a valuable contribution to studies on the protection of children’s right to privacy in Africa. Its importance lies in its close assessment of national and regional instruments, interpretation and implementation of children’s right to privacy.
For more details, please contact:
Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Tel +27 (0) 12 420 3587
elvis.fokala@up.ac.za
Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Tel +27 (0) 12 420 3587
elvis.fokala@up.ac.za