By Mohamed Konneh
The Youth and Child Advocacy Network (YACAN) on Tuesday 17th February 2026 trained School Clubs Executives on leadership skills and the Child Right Act of 2025.
The training took place at YACAN’s Headoffice Conference Room on 18 Settra Kroo Street, in Freetown.
In his facilitation the National Coordinator of YACAN, Hassan Fuad Kanu zoom in on Part four of the Child Right Act that provides for the protection from abuse, violence, exploitation and neglect of the child.
Kanu said the definition of the child is 0 to 18 years.
He said the Act provides for the protection from all forms of physical violence.
‘’Protection from psychological and emotional abuse
Protection of child from sexual violence,
Protection from early or forced marriage and beteothal and the Protection from child trafficking,’’ he said.
He said same part four provide protection from exploitative, child labour and the protection from cyber-attack,’’ he said.
He said the police family support is also contained in part four and these are provisions that help protect children from abuse.
On the use of the media, he said the safe use of the media involves a combination of responsible behaviour and awareness of the potential risks associated with online interactions.
The YACAN National Coordinator shared some key practices geared towards ensuring a safe media use.
‘’ As children, you have to think twice before posting: remember once on the internet always on the internet. Your activity creates a digital footprint. Only share information you are comfortable with sharing,’’ he said.
On privacy setting, he said ensure privacy settings are enabled and secure accounts with two factor authentication.
‘’Respect privacy: post pictures of friend and family only with everyone’s consent. Be cautious of fake friends and online scammers.
He called on the children to report bullying: report bullying to an adult and never share negative or hurtful messages.
‘’Stay informed: Recognize the importance of addressing the complex issue of online health and safety, especially for youth.
He called on the children to be following these guidelines, adding that individuals can contribute to a safer online environment and help protect themselves and others from risk associated with social media.
The training treated topics such as leadership, functions of leadership and roles, quality of good and bad leaders. History about the Child Rights Act and many more. The beneficial schools include, Annie Welsh, St. Joseph Convent, Prince Of Wales, EB Williams and Government Municipal Secondary School.
