PRESS RELEASE ON TALKAM PHASE 6 PROJECT: TALKAM – AGAINST ONLINE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE(OSEA) AND SEXTORTION

Devatop Centre for Africa Development (DEVATOP) is implementing the TALKAM Phase 6 Project funded by United States Embassy in Nigeria titled Talkam – Against Online Sexual Exploitation And Abuse (OSEA) and Sextortion.  

On the 20^th October 2022, Staff of DEVATOP held a project inception meeting to kickstart the TALKAM Phase 6 Project titled Talkam – Against Online Sexual Exploitation And Abuse (OSEA) and Sextortion. The meeting, which was led by Mr. Joseph Osuigwe, the Executive Director of DEVATOP reviewed the project documents, work plan and brainstormed on how best to implement the project which is set to run from 20^th September 2022 – 19^th September 2023.

The project which is aimed at using technology, capacity strengthening, and campaign to counter online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA), Sextortion, and online human trafficking (OHT) will contribute to breaking the culture of silence, strengthening the response system, and disrupting the activities of perpetrators in FCT, Plateau State, and Nasarawa State.

To achieve this goal the project adopts the following approaches:

• Social Media Campaigns
• Training 60 secondary school teachers and tertiary student leaders on online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA), Sextortion and online human trafficking (OHT); and the use of social media to counter them.
• Developing and providing a series of online courses to 1, 000 students in secondary and tertiary schools.
• Educating the grassroots via TALKAM Radio Programs across the project locations: FCT, Plateau State, and Nasarawa State.
• producing short drama and skits which will boost the knowledge dissemination about online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA), Sextortion, and online human trafficking (OHT).
• Organizing virtual internship program geared at increasing knowledge exchange between U.S and Nigeria
• Stimulating human rights abuse reporting through the utilization of the technology tools such as TALKAM Human Rights App to report human trafficking and gender-based violence.

TALKAM is an innovation by Devatop Centre for African Development that focuses on utilizing information and communication technology tools to combat human trafficking, human rights abuses & irregular migration. Through the TALKAM Projects, timely actions and interventions are directed towards combating human rights abuses.