Accra, Ghana – June 8, 2025 – Child Online Africa (COA), in partnership with the African Telecommunication Union (ATU), announces the launch of the Africa Week for Action for Child Online Protection (AWA4COP), a continent-wide campaign running from June 9th to 15th, in the lead-up to the African Union Day of the African Child (June 16th).

This year’s AWA4COP campaign is held under the theme:
"Protecting African Children from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in the Digital Age."
The campaign directly supports and promotes the Second Edition of the ECPAT Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, released in March 2025.

Across Africa, children are accessing digital spaces in increasing numbers, often without adequate safeguards. With this growing connectivity comes increased exposure to threats such as online grooming, sextortion, live-streamed sexual abuse, and the sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

The updated ECPAT Terminology Guidelines emphasize the need for clear, respectful, and victim-centered language when addressing these complex issues. This campaign amplifies those principles across Africa and translate them into action through awareness, advocacy, and education.

Each day of AWA4COP will focus on a distinct theme, targeting key stakeholder groups: children and youth, parents and caregivers, educators, policymakers, tech companies, civil society, and law enforcement.

COA and ATU believe children must never be blamed for the crimes committed against them. AWA4COP campaign is to challenge harmful narratives and help ensure that no child in Africa is left unprotected online. This Second Edition of the ECPAT Terminology Guidelines (which we encourage everyone to read) provides an essential framework to help ALL stakeholders act decisively against child sexual exploitation both online and offline.

About the Terminology Guidelines

The Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Second Edition, March 2025) were developed by ECPAT International and a global Interagency Working Group. The guidelines aim to eliminate harmful, inaccurate, or stigmatizing terms such as “child prostitute” and encourage the use of empowering and accurate alternatives like “child subjected to sexual exploitation.”

By promoting these Guidelines across Africa, AWA4COP campaign endorses ethical communication, survivor dignity, and rights-based protection frameworks.

Follow the campaign on social media using the hashtags:
#AWA4COP | #ProtectAfricanChildren | #EndOnlineAbuse | #SayNoToCSAM