DEALING WITH CHILD ONLINE VULNERABILITY

A few years after I was born, my father met with a stranger.  From the beginning, dad invited him to live with our family and the stranger quickly accepted and was around from then on.  As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family.  In my young mind, he had a special niche.  My parents were complementary instructors: mum taught me good from evil and dad taught me to obey.  But the stranger…he was our storyteller.  He would keep us spell bound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.  If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed to predict the future!  He made me laugh and he made me cry.  The stranger never stopped talking but dad did not seem to mind.

Many years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family.  He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first.  His name?  We just call him TV.  He has a wife now.  We call her Computer.  Their first child is Cell Phone; second child is iPod.  By the way, they now have a wonderful grandchild.  She is a genius!  She is fondly called Blackberry; BB for short.  She is nearly more popular than her mum.  Her new baby cousin is iPad.  This stranger has decided to take up permanent residence in our house.  What can we do?

The internet is neutral can be asked to do anything.  So, if there is any problem, it is with those that give it instruction.  The information society in which children and young people all over the world are growing up offers an unprecedented level of services and information which can be accessed through the computer, mobile phone, game console, iPod, iPad, personal digital assistants etc.  As a neutral tool for disseminating data, the internet can be used for good or for ill.  It has enormous potential as a source of education for people of all ages and capacities.  It can also be used to set online traps to exploit users for criminal purposes.  Among those who are most vulnerable to such traps are children.

The risks and vulnerabilities related to the use of the internet include: exposure to illegal and harmful content such as pornography, gambling, brain washing and recruitment for terrorist activities, cyber bullying and inappropriate content; disclosure of personal information leading to the risk of physical harm, sexual abuse and identity theft; creation, reception and dissemination of illegal and harmful content; and excessive use of the internet to the detriment of social and or outdoor activities important for health, confidence building and social development and general well being.  Others are unauthorized use of the parents’ credit cards to pay for online services and merchandise and targeting through spam and advertisements from companies using internet sites to promote age or interest targeted products.

Child abuse materials emanating from other countries are thriving in Nigeria, exploiting children users’ ignorance and vulnerability of the internet infrastructure.  As Nigeria comes to terms with issues of child abuse materials and commits to the protection, Nigeria does not have sufficient legislation to combat child pornography and related matters.  Internet has become the single largest domain where Nigerian youths are presently being engaged.  The reality in today’s Nigeria digital world has transformed individual lifestyle.  The Nigerian youth’s daily life, from villages to cities, is full with SMS, e-mail, chats, online dating, multiplayer gaming, virtual worlds and digital multimedia.  Although, these technologies mean added convenience and enjoyment for many, government and users alike are often one step behind the fast paced innovation in these areas.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Stakeholders are to work in parallel and in unity at strategic, operational and tactical levels to address child online protection, to conduct a high level strategic planning session across relevant government bodies and to ensure dissemination of clean contents from operators’ networks.

Furthermore, they should conduct awareness workshops across the country in separate areas – local governments, local schools/teachers, private sector and parents and to design a framework, guidelines, policies and other regulations and transit same to appropriate organs of government for assent and implementation.

There should be an all inclusive multi-stakeholder and multi-sector collaboration, partnership and alliances to create more awareness among children on the negative consequences of improper use of cyber content.

Child online protection should be merged with the cyber crime policy of the government while asking that a separate agency should be established to handle the issue of child online protection to ensure that it is not submerged in the larger cyber crime policy.

For operators, they should implement technical mechanisms to prevent access to websites identified as hosting contents that are offensive to children and to implement processes to enable the removal of any child sexual abuse content on their own web services.

GO TO THE RIGHT PERSON

"We are his people, the sheep he tends."  Psalm 100:3

Like sheep, most of our wounds come from living in the pasture.  Thorns prick.  Rocks cut.  Heads butt.  Mosquitoes bite.  So our Shepherd regularly inspects His sheep searching for wounds.  That is because He does not want today's wound to become tomorrow's infection.  Hence, David writes, "We are his people, the sheep he tends."  Others may guide us to God, but no one does the work of God for only God can heal. He "heals the brokenhearted" [Psalm 147:3].

So, your first step is to go to the right person - go to God.  Your second step is to assume the right posture - bow before God.  To be anointed with the oil that heals and protects, the sheep must stand still, lower its head and let the shepherd do his work.  Peter writes, "Be humble under God's powerful hand so he will lift you up when the right time comes" [1Peter 5:6].  When we come to God we make requests, not demands.  We state what we want, but we pray for what is right.  Like Paul, if God gives us the prison in Rome instead of the mission in Spain, we accept it because we know God will always give what is right to His people [Luke 18:7].  Now, the sheep do not understand how the oil repels mosquitoes or heals wounds.  In fact, all the sheep know is that something happens in the presence of their shepherd that does not happen anywhere else.  And that is all we need to know as well.  Hence David writes, "Lord, I give myself to you; my God, I trust you" [Psalm 25:1 - 2].

BEYOND SIGNING FREEDOM OF INFORMATION BILL INTO LAW

Before the Freedom of Information bill [FOI] was finally signed into law, it suffered a series of setbacks totaling about 12 years at a time most developed nations were fine-tuning strategies and policies meant to enhance knowledge driven economy.

As defined, the FOI law “is an Act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to be consistent with the public interest and the protection of personal privacy, protect serving public officers from adverse consequences for disclosing certain kinds of official information without authorization and establish procedures for the achievement of those purposes and; for related matters.”

Though wrongly perceived, the FOI Law is not a Journalist’s law; neither is it a media organization law but a law to get our public office holders accountable to the citizens.  After this Act has been signed into law, however we have not seen its positive influence on national life.  Indeed, how many Christians know what the law is all about?  How many Christians have seen a copy of it?  How many can really interpret the law?  And how many know the meaning, let alone using it to drive the change that they desire?

Christians should be informed that our democracy is unfit if they are not fully responsive or given collective responsibility in the task of building a strong nation.  Nigerians need to be informed that any of their representatives that are not performing to produce best result must be voted out in the next election.  They need to be informed that grass roots development is the only normal means to national development, considering that major cities cannot be developed at the expense of rural communities.  They need to be informed that they are not to celebrate national looters who corner the money meant for health centre for personal use.

Our economic, political and social justice can never be won when government and citizens do not have the relevant knowledge about the country.  Again, the electorate cannot be won over through force.  Severe policies that increase economic instability can only lead to mass protest, as was seen in the first week of the year when Nigerians went out en masse to protest against the absolute removal of fuel subsidy.

Social justice can only be won by free men who believe in an equal society and who have been authorized to adequately use the freedom of information to sensitize and educate the masses and thus free them from unnecessary slavery in their fatherland.

HEALTH TIPS [PART TWO]

v  Eat right for better teeth: Your pearly whites can gleam. Eat apples, oranges, celery, carrots and high fiber green.

v  Make love: There is no better medicine than to have sex with your spouse. Couples who have sex at least twice a week get protective boost from their immune systems. Of course it relaxes the mind.

v  Crash diets don't work: The so called new-age diets do not add to health prospects. There is no easy way to lose weight so the best way is to do it over a period of time.

v  Coffee is good: Researchers have found that two to four cups of coffee daily can lower the risk of colon cancer by 25 per cent.

v  Being overweight is dangerous: Loose the extra kilos. Overweight people cut 20 weeks of their life for every excess kilogram, according to new research, keeping a personal weight machine at home really helps. Buy one now!

v  Supplement with selenium: Research has shown that people who took a daily supplement of selenium had a 37 per cent reduction in cancers.

v  Lower you cholesterol: Work on reducing your cholesterol. This can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke even when your level is not high. Exercise to reduce weight.

v  Aspirin is a wonder drug: Aspirin can actually do wonders. It helps to reduce the risk of conditions such as heart disease and cancers, including of the colon, esophagus, stomach, rectum, prostrate.

v  Change your job: If the workplace is what bothers you. Simply quit! Consider becoming a salesperson. Salespeople are least likely to have a work-related illness.

v  Socializing is good: Meeting friends and relatives is recommended. Weekly socializing improves the memory, concentration and problem solving skills.

v  Learn to relax: Unwind, take up a hobby and start socializing. This fights stress and depression.

v  Fruits and vegetables help: Have at least five portions of vegetables and fruit a day, especially tomatoes, red grapes.

v  Sing to stay healthy: Singing is good for the mind and body. It is relaxing, improves breathing and muscle tone.

v  Vitamins are vital: A multivite a day, keeps the tablet away, but be sure it contains at least 200 Meg of folic acid.

v  Sleep well: There is nothing like a good sleep. Sleep primes the immune system. Most people need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night.

v  Or just hum...: Humming helps. Daily humming is a good way to increase ventilation in the sinuses.

HEALTH TIPS [PART ONE]

v  Garlic a day: Garlic is the mother of all cures. Researchers have found that 5ml of garlic extract lower levels of a disease-causing chemical by up to 48 per cent.

v  Eat wholegrain foods: Make sure you have whole-grain foods at least four times a week and you will reduce the chance of having cancer by 40 per cent.

v  Take care of your skin: Always wear sun-screen lotion.  The best cure is to smile through and your skin will shine with an extra dash. It's no big secret!

v  Eat plenty of fish: Fish is the recommended diet for a longer healthier life. Studies have found that those who regularly ate fish were up to one-third less likely to get heart disease than those who ate it less than once a month.

v  Try Tea: Tea is always good. Being a heavy tea-drinker can never have negative effects. The protective effects of tea increase with the amount drunk, and people who are regular tea drinkers are the least likely to die of a heart attack.

v  Stop smoking: Do not smoke your health away. More you are to smoke, more likely you are to develop cancer or heart disease.

v  Walk for Health: There is nothing better than walking. Walking a mile every day, or taking reasonable exercise three times a week, promises to reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as strengthens bones and keeps them strong. You can buy a blood pressure instrument to monitor your B.P. before and after the walk.

v  Never sleep over a backache:  It is never advisable to sleep over a backache. Research shows that people who take to their beds with backache take the longest time to recover. Those who avoid bed-rest and continue normal activities as much as possible have less pain.

v  Water spells health: Water flushes out the toxins. A good amount of liquid intake helps the entire system and of course is best for curing skin ailments. The average man needs 2.9 litres or about 12 cups of water, a day and woman needs about 2.2 litres.

v  Stop bad breath: You can prevent that unfriendly odour. It is caused by oral bacteria. A tongue scraper may help, but dental care may be needed. Mouth rinses are effective, as are flossing and brushing teeth twice a day.

v  Slow down on the junk: Research shows that eating too many high-fat-foods contributes to high blood-cholesterol levels, which can cause hardening of the arteries, coronary heart disease and stroke.

v  Cut back on salt: Health Organization recommends no more than five grams a day. Too much salt can lead to stroke and heart problems.

v  Drink wine: Research suggests that the equivalent of a couple of glasses of wine a day may be good for health. It can also help you keep a good mental frame.

v  Spouse can matter: A man in poor health in his 50s is six times more likely to be affected if married to a woman who is also in poor health.

"STAYING THE COURSE"

"The testing of your faith produces endurance." James 1:3

Endurance means "staying the course."  But endurance is only a word until you have to deal with a strife-torn marriage, the long road back from bankruptcy, divorce or illness, the rebuilding of your life, or the required preparation for success in any field.  It takes commitment to keep going when friends fail you, discouragement whispers "give up", and doubt says, "it cannot be done."  That is when endurance takes on new meaning.  It becomes your anchor in the storm, your compass in times of confusion, and the head of steam that gets you up the next hill.

Remember, God knows when to discontinue a trial because its purpose has been fulfilled.  And He gives us two great promises:

• His comforting presence [See Isaiah 43:2 - 5].
• The assurance that He will not permit more pressure than we can handle [See 1 Corinthians 10:13].

But there is another reason - others are watching!  Paul writes, "People are watching us as we stay at our post...working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness and honest love; when we are telling the truth...when God is showing His power; when we are doing our best setting things right; when we are praised, and when are blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God...immersed in tears yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all" [1 Corinthians 6:1 - 10].  That is called "staying the course".

GOD'S STRANGE CHOICE

"God chose the weak things of the world to shame the wise."  1 Corinthians 1:27

Has someone told you that you are are not qualified?  If so, read on:

"Dear Paul the Apostle: We received your application for service under our missions board.  Frankly we are amazed you have been able to pass a missionary.  Here is why:

1. We are told that you are afflicted with eye trouble.  We require 20/20 vision.
2. We hear that you have to make tents on the side to support yourself.  How come?
3. Is it true that you have a prison record?  Think how this would reflect on our organization.
4. It is reported from Ephesus that you made so much trouble for the local business community there, that they refer to you as the man who "turned the world upside down."  We deplore sensationalism in ministry.
5. You refer to yourself as "Paul, the aged."  Our new pension policies do not anticipate a surplus of elderly recipients.
6. Doctor Luke, the Physician, reports that you are a frail little man, frequently sick, and always so agitated over your churches that you sleep very poorly.  He indicates that you pad around the house praying half the night.  Our ideal applicant has a clear mind and a robust body.  We believe that a good night's sleep will give you zest and zip so that you will wake up full of zing.

So, we regret to inform you, Brother Paul, that in all our experience we have never met a candidate so opposite to the requirements of our board.  If we should accept you we would be breaking every principle of current missionary practice.

Signed, Most surely,

J. Flavius Fluffyhead

Secretary

Foreign Missions Board."