FPB gears up for 16 Days of Activism
A study conducted by the Film and Publication Board (FPB) and Unisa in 2015 to assess the impact of media content on South African children showed that children have become desensitised to violence.
It is estimated that nearly 42 per cent of South African children have experienced some form of ill treatment and 82 per cent have experienced or witnessed some form of victimisation.
This is according to the Optimus National Prevalence study.
A study conducted by the Film and Publication Board (FPB) and Unisa in 2015 to assess the impact of media content on South African children showed that children have become desensitised to violence.
This study predates the meteoric rise of digital media in the past five years, which has only escalated the exposure to violent content that our children face today.
“During lockdown, many more children spent leisure or study time on digital platforms, potentially creating a further spike in the exposure to harmful content.
“Additionally, many who face abuse daily were also holed up with their perpetrators at this time,” said acting CEO of FPB Abongile Mashele.
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As the country embarks on the 16 Day of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, the FPB has called on all South Africans to be active participants in the fight to eradicate violence.
Under the theme, From Awareness to Accountability: Galvanising action to end violence against women and children in the digital space, the FPB will convene a series of dialogues to discuss the causes of violence against women and children.
The campaign launched on November 25.
“The advent of new media and technologies coincide with a growing trend of children being exposed to harmful content and falling victim to predators online,” said Mashele.
She added that child sexual abuse material, cyberbullying, online trafficking and revenge pornography are amongst many acts of violence that are perpetrated online.
“According to an IPSOS survey conducted in 28 countries in 2018, 65 per cent of all incidents of cyberbullying occurred on social media, with 45 per cent perpetrated from mobile phones, 38 per cent emanating from online messaging, 34 per cent from online chatrooms, 19 per cent from emails, 14 per cent from other websites and six per cent from other technologies,” said Mashele.
In South Africa, the survey also revealed that 67 per cent of all incidents of bullying were committed by classmates.
Almost 40 per cent of the students surveyed acknowledged that they had been cyberbullied.
“It is important to encourage safe and positive use of digital technology among children and young people,” she added.
The FPB’s campaign aims to raise awareness in communities of online threats and to encourage everyone to use the internet in a safe and responsible manner all year round.
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