THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD TRAFFICKING

Abstract

The undeniable fact that the world today is a global village is a testament to the pivotal function of information and communications technology in virtually all facets of life and human engagements and interactions. From trade and commerce to sports, politics, administration of justice, diplomacy, education, security and so forth, the list of aspects of human endeavours that have been revolutionised by the evolution and utilisation of information and communications technology is endless. In the wake of the tremendously beneficial developments in information technology is the growing concern about domestic violence and child trafficking that are carried out through its use. These have also brought to the fore the need to examine how information technology has impacted on those deviant activities, and that is the objective of this article. In doing so, the methodology adopted is principally doctrinal, while the approach is interdisciplinary and comparative. It is the finding of this study that information technology has been utilised in perpetration and perpetuation of these vices as it has also been employed in checking or controlling them. It is thus recommended that as information technology is increasingly becoming a double-edged sword, it should be deployed more in curtailing than in facilitating domestic violence and child trafficking through taking proactive measures, faithful implementation of legislative prescriptions and administering deserving and deterring punishment on the offenders.