By Onyinyechi Joy Nwosu
Child Development and Safety Consultant | Child Protection & Safeguarding Advocate
A disturbing case involving children in Onitsha, Anambra State, has drawn significant public attention following the circulation of material online allegedly depicting the sexual abuse of a child.
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a woman following open-source intelligence concerning the material and the rescue of four children. The police said investigations are ongoing and that the possible involvement of other persons is being examined.
There have also been claims circulating online about the nature of some of the material, including an allegation that some content was generated or manipulated using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Such claims should be established through proper investigation rather than social-media speculation.
But beyond the immediate details of this case lies a broader child-protection concern:
Technology can facilitate, amplify and prolong the sexual exploitation of children.
This is what we must increasingly understand as technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse (TF-CSEA).
A CHILD IS NOT CONTENT
Children are not property.
Being a parent or caregiver does not remove a child’s right to dignity, privacy, bodily integrity and protection from harm.
Adults have a responsibility to protect children, including from harm that may occur within spaces where children should ordinarily feel safest.
When a child is sexually abused, exploited, displayed or represented for sexual purposes, it requires a serious child-protection response.
When technology is used to record, manipulate, store, distribute or otherwise facilitate that abuse, the potential harm can extend far beyond the original incident.
TECHNOLOGY CAN FACILITATE ABUSE
Technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse is not limited to material posted publicly on social media.
Technology can be used to:
- record or photograph sexual abuse;
- create or manipulate sexualised images of children;
- groom or solicit children;
- distribute abusive material;
- facilitate the exchange or purchase of such material; and
- repeatedly circulate material depicting a child’s abuse.
The technology may change, but the child-protection concern remains.
EVEN AI-GENERATED MATERIAL REQUIRES SERIOUS ATTENTION
This is becoming an increasingly important issue as Artificial Intelligence becomes more accessible.
AI can create or manipulate highly realistic images and videos, including sexualised representations of children.
Therefore, saying “it was AI-generated” does not automatically make the conduct harmless or remove the need for investigation.
Nigerian law provides protections against the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. Section 32 of the Child Rights Act criminalises sexual abuse and exploitation of children, while Section 23 of the Cybercrimes Act addresses offences involving child sexual-abuse material through computer systems, including its production, making available, distribution, procurement and possession. The precise offence applicable to particular conduct depends on the evidence, circumstances and applicable law.
That determination belongs to competent authorities and, where necessary, the courts.
From a child-safeguarding perspective, however, one principle is clear:
Technology must never become a loophole for the sexual exploitation of children.
Our laws, investigations and safeguarding systems must keep pace with the ways technology can be used to harm children.
USE LANGUAGE THAT CENTRES THE CHILD
There is a reason child-protection professionals increasingly use the term Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) rather than “child pornography”.
These are not simply pornographic images.
They are records or representations of the sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
Language matters because it keeps the focus where it belongs – on the child and the abuse, not on the material as entertainment.
DO NOT BECOME PART OF THE DISTRIBUTION CHAIN
When disturbing material involving a child begins circulating, people may forward it because they want to expose the alleged perpetrator or warn others.
But sharing the material can further violate the child’s privacy and dignity.
Do not download, forward or repost abusive material involving children.
Report it through appropriate channels.
Protect the child’s identity.
Let competent authorities investigate.
Reporting abuse is an act of protection. Making abusive material viral is not.
THE ABUSE DOES NOT END WHEN THE MATERIAL IS UPLOADED
Digital material can be downloaded, copied, screenshot, forwarded, reposted, uploaded to other platforms or circulated privately.
This means a child can experience repeated harm through the continued circulation of material depicting their abuse.
The original abuse may have happened once, but its digital circulation can expose the child to continuing violations of privacy and dignity.
That is one of the serious child-protection challenges created when abuse is captured and circulated digitally.
SAFEGUARDING MUST GO BEYOND ARREST
An arrest may be an important part of the response, but it is not the end of safeguarding.
Where children are rescued from suspected abuse or exploitation, the response should consider their immediate and continuing safety.
This may include:
- appropriate medical assessment and care;
- child-sensitive and trauma-informed psychosocial support;
- protection from further contact with anyone who may pose a risk;
- careful, child-sensitive investigation;
- preservation of relevant digital evidence;
- assessment of siblings or other children who may also be at risk;
- appropriate referral and case management; and
- access to justice where evidence establishes criminal conduct.
The question should not only be:
“Who should be arrested?”
We must also ask:
“What does this child need now?”
and
“What must be done to prevent further harm?”
That is the heart of safeguarding.
DO NOT BLAME THE CHILD
There must be no suggestion that a child caused, invited or consented to their sexual exploitation.
Children depend on adults to establish safe boundaries and protect them from harm.
Where an adult violates that responsibility, accountability belongs with the adult.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT BLAMING WOMEN OR MOTHERS
Where a woman is alleged to be involved in a child-abuse case, the conversation should not become a debate about women or motherhood.
Child sexual abuse and exploitation are not limited to one gender.
The focus must remain on behaviour, evidence, risk to the child and the appropriate safeguarding response.
DIGITAL SAFETY IS CHILD SAFETY
Parents need to rethink how they approach children’s images and personal information online.
A child’s photograph may appear harmless when shared by a parent, but once it enters the digital environment, control over where it goes can quickly be lost.
A child’s privacy matters.
A child’s dignity matters.
A child’s digital footprint matters.
As technology and AI evolve, parents, schools, communities, law-enforcement agencies, technology platforms and child-protection professionals must become more informed about the risks and better equipped to respond.
WE MUST NOT LOSE THE CHILD IN THE VIRAL STORY
A disturbing case can quickly become a social-media spectacle.
People argue.
People speculate.
People share.
People search for identities and details.
And in the middle of all of this, the child can disappear from the conversation.
That must not happen.
Our first questions should be:
Is the child safe?
How do we prevent further harm?
How do we protect the child’s dignity and privacy?
What support does the child need?
How do we ensure accountability based on evidence?
And ultimately:
What must change so that another child does not experience the same harm?
Child protection must evolve alongside technology.
Safeguarding must evolve alongside technology.
Our laws, investigations, digital platforms, parents, schools and communities must be equipped to respond to emerging forms of harm.
But one principle should never change:
A CHILD IS NOT CONTENT.
A child is not a source of income.
A child is not a tool for adult gratification.
And a child’s body, image and dignity must never become a playground for adults.
Protect children. Report abuse. Stop the circulation. Follow the evidence. Put the child first.
Author Bio
#Onyinyechi Joy Nwosu is a Child Development and Safety Consultant and Child Protection & Safeguarding Advocate with over 10 years of professional experience. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Vivacious Development Initiative (VIDI), working across child protection, safeguarding, gender-based violence prevention and protection, human rights and the protection of vulnerable populations.
