Children Of The Digital Age Zimbabwe

21/08/2026

We are proud to support this vital national agenda and look forward to contributing meaningfully to the implementation of the Child Online Protection Policy.

At CODAZIM, we remain committed to collective action, stronger partnerships and ensuring that every child in Zimbabwe is protected, empowered and safe online.

GOVERNMENT is at the preliminary stages of developing legislation to turn the Zimbabwe National Child Online Protection Policy (2026–2030) into law as it moves to strengthen the protection of children from abuse and exploitation in the digital space.

Readmore: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/govt-moves-to-strengthen-child-online-protection-laws/

21/08/2026

A commendable and timely step by the Government of Zimbabwe in strengthening Online Child Protection. 🇿🇼👏

Protecting children in the digital age requires strong leadership, coordinated action, effective policy and collective responsibility.

We commend all stakeholders driving this important agenda and remain committed at CODAZIM to supporting efforts that build a safer, more secure and child friendly digital environment for every Zimbabwean child

Save the Children in Zimbabwe Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Zimbabwe

Govt moves to enact Child Online Protection law
https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/govt-moves-to-enact-child-online-protection-law/

21/08/2026

This is powerful reminder that the fight against child sexual exploitation requires stronger collaboration, prevention, intelligence sharing and decisive action.

At Children Of The Digital Age Zimbabwe (CODAZIM), we look forward to working with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Government, Postal & Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) and other stakeholders to strengthen Zimbabwe’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to online child sexual exploitation, while ensuring victims are identified, protected and supported.

Our goal is clear, a safer digital Zimbabwe where every child can learn, connect and grow without fear of online grooming, sextortion or online exploitation.
Protecting online is a collective responsibility.

The time to act is now.

Mussollini S Mugumbate

🚨 INTERPOL has seen a significant increase in the number of identified victims of child sexual exploitation in recent years.

In the first seven months of 2026, nearly 5,800 new victims have been identified through INTERPOL's International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database.

In 2025, we saw the largest annual increase in identifications since ICSE’s creation in 2011.

This increase reflects global efforts to combat child sexual exploitation, including:

🔵 The creation of dedicated national victim identification units
🔵 Expanded victim identification task forces
🔵 Stronger cross-border coordination

But these efforts tell only part of the story.

The rise in victim identifications is also linked to a growing number of cases involving children who are coerced, manipulated or sextorted into producing self-generated abuse material. These cases often generate large volumes of media per victim, increasing the likelihood of detection.

INTERPOL's Crimes Against Children unit works to:

🔵 Locate and safeguard child victims
🔵 Block access to child sexual abuse material
🔵 Identify offenders

Read more: https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Crimes-against-children/Victim-identification

06/08/2026

What are you doing to keep your child safe online?

If your child uses a smartphone, tablet, or computer, do you know what they are seeing, learning, and who they are interacting with online? Have you enabled parental controls?
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Protecting children online starts with informed parents, guardians and caregivers. Together, we can build a safer digital future for every child.

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Childline Zimbabwe Ministry of Primary & Secondary Education, Zimbabwe Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare UK in Zimbabwe UNICEF Zimbabwe Education Coalition of Zimbabwe - ecozi

03/08/2026

What are you doing to keep your child safe online?

If your child uses a , , or , do you know what they are seeing, learning and who they are interacting with online? Have you enabled parental controls and started regular conversations about safe digital behaviour?

Protecting children online starts with informed parents, guardians and caregivers. Together, we can build a safer digital future for every child.

Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Zimbabwe UK in Zimbabwe Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Childline Zimbabwe UNICEF Zimbabwe World Vision Zimbabwe

01/08/2026

Yesterday, our Director Mr Mussollini S Mugumbate attended the anti-human trafficking training hosted by the UK in Zimbabwe 🇬🇧 and facilitated by the UK Border Force, alongside the Department of Immigration Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 and other key stakeholders.

Strengthening collaboration, sharing expertise, and enhancing digital awareness are critical to disrupting human trafficking networks, including those operating online.

CODAZIM looks forward to intensifying its anti human trafficking awareness and prevention programmes through stronger partnerships and community engagement.

31/07/2026

A child does not simply consume digital content, it is important to note that digital content also consumes the child's attention, emotions, beliefs and future.

Digital skills open doors. Healthy boundaries keep children safe online.

30/07/2026

Traffickers increasingly exploit digital platforms to target, recruit and deceive vulnerable people. Prevention begins with awareness, strong partnerships and coordinated action.

CODAZIM remains committed to advance online safety, strengthening digital resilience and protecting every child and community from exploitation.

VFS Global UK in Zimbabwe IOM Zimbabwe

Tackling trafficking requires partnership.

Government, frontline services, communities, civil society and international organisations all have a role in prevention, protection and referral. This week’s training is helping strengthen those efforts through shared expertise and practical cooperation.

28/07/2026

Sadfishing is a social media term that describes posting exaggerated or overly dramatic emotional content online to gain sympathy, attention, validation and engagement from others. The name combines "sad" and "catfishing"

For example:
Posting vague messages like, "I can't do this anymore..." without explaining what happened, hoping people ask what is wrong.
Frequently sharing photos or videos of yourself crying to attract sympathy.
Exaggerating personal struggles to get more likes, comments and followers.

It's important to distinguish sadfishing from genuinely asking for help. Many people share their emotions online because they are truly struggling and need support. Labeling every emotional post as "sadfishing" can be harmful and may discourage people from seeking help when they need it.

30/04/2026

Children are spending more time online than ever before, making digital safety not just a parental concern, but a shared responsibility for parents, guardians, educators and digital platforms alike.

As online engagement among young users continues to rise especially on social media, short form videos and live streamed content so does their exposure to privacy breaches, online grooming risks, cyberbullying and data misuse. The digital world offers opportunity, but it also demands vigilance.

Stronger child online protection starts with intentional action which includes:

1. Keep children’s accounts private and strictly controlled
2. Regularly review followers, friend lists, and interaction history
3. Disable location sharing and limit contact syncing across apps
4. Use strong, unique passwords and enable Multi Factor Authentication for added security layers
5. Teach children the golden rule: “Think before you share what goes online stays online.”
6. Conduct routine digital safety checks (app permissions, profile visibility, tagged posts and device settings)

We must move from awareness to consistent practice. A safer digital space for children is not accidental it is built daily through informed decisions, active supervision, and responsible digital citizenship.

Ministry of Primary & Secondary Education, Zimbabwe Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Zimbabwe World Vision Zimbabwe UNICEF Zimbabwe Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Childline Zimbabwe Potraz Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Dev. ZBC News Online