Ms Afua Brown-Eyeson will work with relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the COP provisions in the Cybersecurity Act 2020 (Act 1038).

She will further engage with national level stakeholders to increase commitment to child sexual exploitation and abuse prevention and response and lead in the development of appropriate support services for victims, including prosecutions of child online sexual offences.

Sections 62-67 of the Cybersecurity Act 2020, (Act 1038), criminalises child online abuses including the production, viewing and distribution of child sexual abuse materials, online grooming of children, cyberstalking of a child and sextortion.

Cybersecurity priorities

A press release issued on February 9, by the Cyber Security Authority said: “Upon conviction, the Act penalises such offences up to 25 years.”

“According to a 2021 UNICEF report, globally, one in five girls and one in 13 boys have been sexually exploited or abused by electronic means before reaching the age of 18.

“A report from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children also indicates that more than 13,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse were accessed or uploaded from Ghana in 2020; highlighting the need for improved and collective national response to protect the Ghanaian child,” it said.

The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, in the release, said the protection of children online was one of the cybersecurity priorities of the government.

“The government is therefore committed to promoting a safe and positive use of the internet among children and young people even as we continue to drive Ghana’s digitalisation agenda.”

Ms Brown-Eyeson's background

Ms Brown-Eyeson enrolled as a lawyer 21 years ago. She is a legal consultant, a court certified advocacy specialist for children in Georgia, USA, the chairperson of the West Africa and Ghana chapters of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF – West Africa and WILDAF - Ghana), a member of the Domestic Violence Management Board and a former lecturer at the Ghana School of Law.

Protection of children on the internet is one of the mandates of the Cyber Security Authority.

The Authority was established under Section 2 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) to regulate cybersecurity activities and lead Ghana’s cybersecurity development among other related functions.