What is the status of digital children’s rights?
In this Digital Child Rights Monitor we give insight how the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) addressed digital child rights in its 2023 Concluding Observations on Togo. The priority scale reflects how strongly the CRC highlights an issue in its recommendations — the higher the score, the bigger or more pressing the problem. This scale helps visualize which digital child rights issues the CRC considers most urgent and where Togo faces its greatest challenges. If a country gets a low urgency score it does not necessarily mean the country is doing good, it just means the CRC made little to no mention to it.
Summary
High priority
Violence & Exploitation Online (6) emerges as the most pressing priority, driven by concerns related to online sexual exploitation (CSAM) and trafficking and exploitation. This highlights serious risks faced by children in digital environments and indicates a strong focus on protection against exploitation.
Medium priority
Infrastructure & Capacity (5) receives moderate attention, focused entirely on digitalized systems. This suggests ongoing efforts to strengthen core digital infrastructure, though other aspects such as legal frameworks and professional training are not addressed.
Low priority
Digital Access & Participation (0), Online Safety & Protection (0), Privacy & Data Protection (0), and Digital Health & Well-being (0) are not addressed in the data. This indicates significant gaps in access, prevention, data rights, and wellbeing-related issues.
Overview themes
- Digital Access & Participation
- Digital Health & Well-Being
- Infrastructure & Capacity
- Online Safety & Protection
- Privacy & Data Protection
- Violence & Exploitation Online
Violence & Exploitation Online stands out as the leading theme, reflecting serious concerns around exploitation and trafficking. Infrastructure & Capacity receives moderate attention, with a narrow focus on digital systems. However, the overall scope remains limited, with only two themes addressed. In contrast, all other themes are absent, highlighting major gaps in coverage across children’s digital rights.
Violence and exploitation
- Discriminatory Violence
- Online Harrasment and Bullying
- Online sexual exploitation / CSAM
- Trafficking / exploitation through digital platforms
Violence & Exploitation Online is the most prominent theme (6), with equal attention to online sexual exploitation (CSAM) and trafficking and exploitation. This highlights significant risks faced by children in digital environments. The distribution suggests a focused concern on exploitation-related harms.
Infrastructure and capacity
- Cybercrime and cybersecurity laws
- Digitalized systems
- Training of professionals on online offences
Infrastructure & Capacity receives moderate attention (5), focused solely on digitalized systems. This highlights the importance of developing core digital infrastructure. However, the absence of cybercrime laws and professional training indicates limited attention to broader system strengthening.
Digital health and wellbeing
Digital Health & Well-being is not addressed (0), with no references to mental health, screen time, or support services. This indicates that children’s digital wellbeing is not currently considered. It highlights an important gap in awareness and policy attention.
Online safety and protection
Online Safety & Protection is not addressed (0), with no references to awareness, safeguarding, or reporting mechanisms. This suggests that preventive and protective frameworks are not captured in the available data. It highlights a significant gap in addressing online safety.
Privacy and data protection
Privacy & Data Protection is not addressed (0), with no mention of privacy rights, data protection, or surveillance. This indicates limited attention to how children’s data is managed. The absence points to gaps in both policy focus and reporting.
Digital access and participation
Digital Access & Participation is not addressed (0), with no references to access, infrastructure, or inclusion. This indicates limited visibility into children’s ability to engage in digital environments. The absence suggests a gap in both policy attention and reporting.
Concluding Observations CRC
- “Noting the Child Protection Dashboard and sectoral databases, the Committee recalls its general comment No. 5 (2003) and urges the State party to consolidate an integrated data-collection and management system and ensure that it covers all areas of the Convention, includes data on the situation of children with HIV/AIDS, children with disabilities, LGBTI+ children, children without parental care, child victims of trafficking and violence, including violence in institutions, and sexual exploitation and abuse and other children in vulnerable situations, and that it is publicly available online and regularly updated.
- “To conduct a comprehensive study on internal trafficking and the sale of children, as previously recommended, and strengthen data collection and information management on cases of trafficking, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations and international organizations;
Togo
2023
Digital Child Rights Network
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