Conclusion
Africa has established her presence and is set to become a key
participant and in the nearest future; a leader in the sphere of
social networking. There is now therefore the increasing need
forAfrican countries to develop plans and strategies aswell as
formulate policies to survive the challenges of the rapidly
digitizing world. This they can do by liaising with more
digitally matured countries which have standardized cyber
laws that protect people from and punish people for cybercrimes.
These laws can be localized to fit the African context
as well as tailored to prosecuteminor and adult offenders. The
protection of the rights and lives of children, youths and
women should be a priority on the enactment and implementation
of these proposed laws and policies.
The efforts of the South African Government have been
particularly commendable in this area as several laws, cybercrime
prevention centers and websites have been established
to protect children and women. Governments of other
countries like Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda, need to rise to this
challenge. In Nigeria for example, cybercrimes are currently
handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), a body which prosecutes offenders using the
Nigerian Criminal Code Act of 1990 and Advanced Fee
Fraud and Related Offences Act of 2006. These legislations
mostly address crimes such as; cyber fraud, password theft
and the spread of malware; cyberbullying and cyber violence
is not mentioned. The same can be said of Kenya’s Information
and Communications Act CAP 411A, which
addresses crimes such as; unauthorized access to computer
data, access with intent to commit offences, interception of
computer service etc.; cyberbullying is also not mentioned.
There is therefore a need to update these dated laws.
Parents too have a serious part to play in ensuring that
African children and youths turn out responsible users of
social networks. Children and youths should be made to
understand that abusing social media could lead to serious
consequences. Parents need to participate more actively in
the daily lives and most especially, in the online activities.
Operators of social networks too will need to review the
operational facilities on their sites in order to make them
safe for young users.