In Kazakhstan, children are spending more time online than ever before. The internet gives them new ways to learn, connect with friends and explore the world. Yet the same digital spaces can also expose them to violence, exploitation and abuse. As technology evolves at breakneck speed, the risks facing children are growing faster than the systems designed to keep them safe.
In a country where one in three people is a child, weaknesses in child protection can have serious consequences.
This is where Sonoko Otani came in. As an international UN Volunteer with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan, she worked as a Child Safety and Protection Specialist. Her one-year assignment, funded by the Government of Japan and completed in 2026, supported efforts to make the digital world safer for children and ensure stronger protection for them in their daily lives.
“Our awareness campaigns reached 1.4 million people through schools and social media, promoting safer online and offline environments for children,” Sonoko noted.
Kazakhstan began establishing Child Rights Protection Departments at oblast and district levels with dedicated social workers to improve access to protection services for vulnerable children and families.
Behind every policy, campaign and safety measure was a simple goal: protecting children. For Sonoko, that meant analyzing what works in global trends, helping improve child protection systems in Kazakhstan and working with partners to raise awareness about the risks children face online.
Together with her team, she conducted a capacity assessment with international experts on online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA), which then led to developing training programmes for law enforcement, cyber safety experts, child protection professionals, and teachers. These programmes will launch later this year.
Sonoko's journey to Kazakhstan began in Japan. Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan's The Global Human Resource Development Programme for Peacebuilding and Development, she joined a group of professionals committed to tackling global development challenges as UN Volunteers. After four weeks of intensive training in Japan, she joined UNICEF Kazakhstan, helping make child protection systems stronger and creating safer online spaces for children.
Kundyz Turabay, Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF Kazakhstan, shared, “Sonoko demonstrated high emotional intelligence, maintains a positive and respectful attitude, and worked effectively under pressure.”
Looking back, one of Sonoko's biggest lessons came from the partnerships behind the work. Protecting children in a digital world could not be done by one organization alone. It required governments, educators, technology experts, businesses and civil society groups to come together and find common ground. Working across these sectors gave her a broader perspective on what it takes to drive change and showed her the power of collaboration in tackling complex challenges.
“I gained practical experience engaging with state-level activities and emerging issues like OCSEA, while deepening my understanding of child protection system strengthening and how UNICEF country, regional, and headquarters offices function cohesively.”
“Collaborating across diverse sectors helped me build meaningful connections both within and outside UNICEF networks. These experiences have equipped me with skills essential for advancing children's rights,” Sonoko concluded.
