ACSAI’s campaigns drive positive change in Nigeria

Action Against Child Sexual Abuse Initiative’s (ACSAI) campaign in Nigeria yielded significant results, reaching millions and leading to increased hotline reports.

Key points

• ACSAI led a campaign which was community and youth-driven promoting child online safety and the importance of reporting abuse, especially child sexual abuse material.
• The campaign engaged young people as digital advocates to amplify the campaign message, with the campaign reaching over two million people.
• The campaign included short videos and infographics to drive awareness on social media.
• The campaign saw a 60% increase in hotline reports within three months of launching.

The problem

Nigeria faces a rising tide of child sexual exploitation and abuse online, exacerbated by increased digital connectivity. Despite the prevalence of abuse, there is significant underreporting due to stigma, fear and limited awareness of reporting mechanisms.

Many young people in Nigeria do not recognise child sexual exploitation and abuse online as a crime. In a country where digital fraud (“Yahoo-Yahoo”), sextortion, cyberbullying and sharing of intimate images without consent are rampant, there is an urgent need to educate young people that these actions are not only harmful, they are illegal. The lack of awareness has created an environment where many young people become victims or perpetrators without understanding the legal implications. Bridging this knowledge gap and promoting safe digital behaviour is critical to change.

The solution

To address the gap, ACSAI launched the #TellPerson and #IGoReportAm campaign, a culturally resonant initiative to promote knowledge of harmful practices as crimes punishable by the law and facilitating the reporting of child sexual exploitation and abuse content online. The #TellPerson campaign – which translates to “Tell Someone” – focuses on creating awareness that child sexual exploitation and abuse and other technology-facilitated gender-based crimes are real crimes with legal consequences. The #IGoReportAm campaign – which translates to “I will Report It” – serves as a direct call to action encouraging individuals to report abuse through ACSAI’s hotline and platforms.

The campaign targeted young people, parents and teachers through:

• Social media advocacy: Short videos, infographics and survivor stories were shared on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X.
• Digital changemakers: 50 young people were trained as digital advocates to amplify campaign messages online.
• Community dialogues: School workshops were held to educate the public on online safety and the ACSAI reporting hotline.
• Partnerships: Partnerships included collaboration with TikTok to use their Safety Enforcement Tool (TSET) for reporting harmful content and working with ONSA’s National Cybersecurity Coordination Center (NCCC) and NAPTIP and other international and national organisation to ensure prompt law enforcement responses to reports.

The impact

The #TellPerson#IGoReportAm campaign yielded significant results within its first three months:

• 60% increase in hotline reports: More individuals reported CSAM and other forms of abuse using the ACSAI reporting platform.
• 2 million online impressions: Campaign videos and social media posts reached over 2 million people across platforms.
• 1,500 students educated: Through school workshops and webinars on digital safety and online exploitation prevention.
• Rapid takedowns: Collaboration with TikTok, StopNCII, Take it Down and the INHOPE network enabled swift removal of harmful content reported through our hotline.

The campaign not only raised awareness but also empowered communities to act, leading to increased reports that facilitated faster interventions and child rescues.

Lessons learned

• Language matters: Using culturally familiar phrases like “I Go Report Am” increased relatability and community engagement.
• Partnerships amplify impact: Collaboration with digital platforms like TikTok and law enforcement agencies accelerated responses to reported content.
• Youth engagement is powerful: Young people served as effective digital advocates, driving the campaign’s reach and credibility.
• Room for improvement: In future campaigns, we aim to expand our community dialogues to rural areas and translate materials into more local languages to reach underserved populations.

www.acsaing.org

Page last updated on 28th February 2025