Lagos — Succour may be on the way for numerous individuals, families, institutions and corporate bodies who have shown grave concern about the dangers posed by unrestricted use and access to explicit and unwarranted content sites on the Internet, particularly pornographic sites. This could be made possible if, the initiatives to ensure that family values are inculcated on a value-free technology like the Internet, being promoted by a Lagos based Non-governmental organisations, Safe Internet Initiative scale through.

The project being pioneered by Safe Internet Initiative, a body of concerned Nigerian parents has mapped out programmes that will: Promote and advocate establishment of public policies and regulations that will ensure healthy Internet environment; Advocate for the promulgation of appropriate legislations that will protect children, young persons and families at various levels of government from abuses of the use of the Internet; Continuous education of the Internet public-users and provides on dangers of viewing pornographic and hardcore objectionable contents on the family and the Society; and Encourage the establishment of model "family friendly" and "cyber crime free" cybercafes through interactive sessions with ISPs and Cyber cafe operators and appropriate Government agencies.

The NGO, at a recently organised seminar tagged "Safeguarding Family Values on the Internet - Constraints and possibilities" during which papers were presented by eminent Nigerians including Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, President Nigerian Internet Group, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Mr. Eugene Aigbofo Ohu, Director, Helmbridge Study Centre. The group was advised to ensure that apart from educating the public about the use of appropriate filtering softwares, the control of children who are the innocent victims of the various Internet abuses, directly by their parents, will ensure an enduring check on the dangers posed by the use of the Internet. At the end of the seminar participants were sensitized on the various options available for protecting family members and workers on the Internet and were enjoined to support the crusade of ensuring a healthy environment for use of the Internet in homes, offices and other public and private places particularly cyber cafes.