What is Solicitation of a Minor And What Should Parents Do?

Being a parent or a guardian at this age is not easy. The internet has redefined and changed virtually everything. There are new trends popping up with each passing day and many parents are being left out. Only playing catch-up.

More interesting is that at this age of the internet, our kids know more about the internet than their parents. They know about social media platforms and most of them have more “connections” online than what many parents have in a lifetime.

One of the dangers of the internet to kids is the solicitation of minors. According to the Communications Authority, this involves asking or engaging in a conversation with a minor and during the course of that conversation, asking for a physical meeting.

The intentions of these meetings could be to lure the child to commit crimes, engage in sexual acts, or kidnap the children and seek a ransom. This is evident from the increased cases of children getting lost without a trace.

Criminals befriend children and establish an emotional connection with the motive of lowering the child’s protective instincts in preparation for the exploitation. The most common avenues are through social media platforms.

It is important to note that everyone, including children, has a right to be protected against any harm. Article 29 (D) of the Kenya Constitution states that ‘Every person has the right to freedom and security which includes the right not to be subjected to torture in any manner, whether physical or psychological.

The Constitution in Article 46 (C) on Consumer Protection states that ‘Consumers have the right to the protection of their health, safety, and economic interests.

The Children’s Act No.8 of 2001 makes provision for parental responsibility, fostering, adoption, custody, maintenance, guardianship, care, and protection of children. This provision extends to protecting children in cyberspace.

It is the duty of parents, guardians, and other stakeholders, including service providers to ensure that the children are protected. As a parent, talk to your children. Talk about the internet. Talk about social media platforms and their dangers. Most importantly, listen to them.