Tanzania’s Minister of Community Development, Gender, Women, and Special Groups, Dorothy Gwajima, has called on stakeholders to initiate a discussion about child-safe SIM cards as a measure to protect children online.
Gwajima made this appeal during the commemoration of Human Rights Day and the launch of the five-year strategic plan of the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), held at the Hyatt Hotel in Dar es Salaam on December 10, 2024.
“Other countries have already started discussing having child-safe SIM cards, meaning that if you have such a SIM card, a child can be protected—anything that is not appropriate for them will be inaccessible,” Gwajima said.
“We, too, can engage with these communication technology companies to explore what we can do in our country to ensure that children have the right to access the internet and see content relevant to them without being exposed to inappropriate material,” she added.
Data from Tanzania’s 2022 Census indicates that 112,695 children under the age of 10 own feature phones, while 21,535 in the same age group own smartphones. Among children aged 10 to 14, 182,476 own feature phones, and 31,735 own smartphones. For those aged 15 to 19, about 408,157 own smartphones.
While these numbers reflect ownership, the actual number of child users may be higher, as children often use the phones of parents or guardians.
The Disrupting Harm in Tanzania report, which documents evidence of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, reveals that 67% of 12–17-year-olds in Tanzania are internet users. The most common online activities among children include watching videos (17%), using social media (15%), and playing online games (14%).
The report highlights concerning statistics:
- 3% of surveyed children reported sharing naked pictures or videos of themselves online.
- 25% encountered sexual images or videos online unexpectedly at least once in the past year, and 17% actively searched for such material.
- 3% were offered money or gifts to meet in person for sexual activities.
- 2% were offered money or gifts in exchange for sexual images or videos.
- 2% were threatened or blackmailed into engaging in sexual activities through social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok, as well as online games.
Speaking about the violations faced by children in Tanzania, the Executive Director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), Anna Henga, said, “The problem has reached alarming levels and demands immediate and sustained attention.”
Henga emphasized that sexual violence, including rape and sodomy, remains a significant threat to children’s rights.
“Our report reveals girls account for more than 80 percent of rape victims, while boys represent 80 percent of sodomy victims,” Henga explained. She continued: “These figures are not just numbers; they represent lives lost, dreams shattered, and families torn apart. Behind every statistic lies a real story of pain, courage, and, too often, silence.”
It is worth noting how the Disrupting Harm in Tanzania report, has shown how sexual images and the internet are increasingly being used as tools for grooming children, underscoring the linkage between the physical and online world.
The LHRC called for measures to prevent child abuse, including raising awareness to change societal structures that enable abuse, ensuring robust legal protections, and providing justice for victims whenever abuse occurs.
