Digitally Enhanced Child Protection: How new technology can prevent violence against children in the Global South

This paper investigates the potential for information and communication technologies (ICTs) to protect children from violence. The use of ICTs for this purpose has been explored in North America and Western Europe but there is less known about tools in lower- and middle-income settings in the America’s, Africa, and Asia.

The paper opens with a description of the character and dynamics of violence against children in these settings. It explores the expansion of ICTs and the ethical implications of their use among children and youth. The second section presents the range of ICTs currently available for combating violence against children (VAC). The third section explains how these tools are currently being used and by whom. Conclusions are then made on the next steps and evolution of ICTs to prevent and reduce VAC.