Findings of a study conducted by CRY and CNLU published days ahead of the Safer Internet Day found that the online perpetrators made the most of children’s increased exposure to the internet during COVID times
Millions of children were put at increased risk of harm as their lives moved increasingly online during lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic and in the new-normal.
Online sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) has risen alarmingly across the country over the past two years. Worse still, parents are unaware of existing legislations to cope with it and are extremely reluctant to seek help from the police or authorities.
A mere 26 per cent of parents, spoken to in West Bengal and 30 per cent of parents across the country, said they would approach the police for help if their children were indeed ‘victims’.
Such and more critical findings have come to light in POCSO and Beyond: Understanding Online Safety during COVID, a study conducted in the post-COVID times by CRY — Child Rights and You, and Chanakya National Law University, Patna.
The study was conducted in four states of the country — West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, with responses elicited from parents, teachers (government and private schools) and other stakeholders.
The pandemic led to an unprecedented rise in screen time for children. School closures and strict containment measures meant more and more families relied on technology and digital solutions to keep children learning, entertained and connected to the outside world, but not all children had the necessary knowledge, skills and resources to keep themselves safe. Also, the increased online exposure, with less or no parental supervision, enabled online perpetrators to access the personal details of the children and connect with them.
In West Bengal, parents and teachers observed at least two or more distinct changes in the behaviour of children during and in the period, post-pandemic — the kids had become absent-minded, stayed hooked to their smart-phones even late into the night and got upset easily.
Incidences of online bullying and online grooming, which falls under OCSEA, were high. Adolescent girls and boys in the age-group of 14-18 were observed to be most vulnerable.
As usual, the reporting of cases was low and the conversation and awareness around it much lower. Around 57 per cent parents said they were worried about the amount of time their children spent online, a little over 16 per cent said they were familiar with a mere two of the popular apps their children were dabbling with and 43 per cent admitted they were clueless about the existing safety features on these apps. Did they ever talk to their children about how to stay safe, online? A whopping 58 per cent of parents answered in the negative.
Read Online child abuse escalated in India during pandemic: CRY
Further, at the national level, only 16 per cent of parents reported of being aware of any legislation relating to OCSEA. These findings indicated a huge information deficit among the parents.
The gravity of the situation is going largely unrealised, probably because reporting of the cases is low. Asked whether they were willing to seek help from the police, or relevant authorities for the affected children, 74 per cent of the parents said no. Across the country as well, this finding cuts a sorry figure — only around 30 per cent of the parents said they would approach the police for help, if necessary.
This apparent reluctance on the part of parents, to file an official complaint, can be attributed to the stigma that surrounds sexual abuse in our society, whatever the platform (online or physical) and whoever the victims (children or adults).
More often than not, it is the victims of abuse who are held responsible for whatever has happened to them. This echoes in the findings of the study, as revealed by the observations of the teachers interviewed. More than 80 per cent of teachers have said there is widespread stigma on the issue, because of which reporting of such incidents is low.
Yet another reason for low or non-reporting of incidents of online child sexual exploitation and abuse is lack of awareness about related and relevant legislation among parents and teachers.
Around 90 per cent parents admitted they were not aware of relevant legislations related to OCSEA and around 72 per cent said they had never attended any training / sensitisation workshop on the same.
Around 63 per cent teachers said they had no clue about relevant legislations and more than 66 per cent said their school / institutions did not have any online safety protocol for students.
As parents, caregivers and teachers, we generally do everything we can to keep our children safe and well, from getting them to eat healthy and study hard to being careful when crossing a road and so much more.
But do we actually do enough to protect them from bullies, predators and inappropriate content online? Let’s face it, the internet is here to stay and with the study highlighting the gravity of the present situation in no uncertain terms, it is imperative that we act now.
To begin with, it is important to talk openly with children about their online activities — what they are reading, watching and who they are communicating with online.
Parents and teachers should keep themselves updated about this constantly evolving world, its safety networks and also traps and pitfalls. And, they should make their children aware of the same — the kids should also have an idea of the dark side and the unknown dangers that lurk around. Parental control and supervision is very important, especially for younger children.
Knowing the relevant legislations pertaining to OCSEA is a must, for everybody concerned. Prevention is always better than cure, but if it can’t be prevented, at least the mechanism and modes of redress should be known and made accessible to all. Not reporting incidences will only bolster the might of predators and help spread their claws further.
It is essential to address the evolving challenge in a planned manner. With the findings indicating a huge information deficit and low trust in legal and law enforcement institutions, it is imperative especially that we revisit the existing regulations and legislations, make them more effective and also make the general public aware of them.
Not being “in the know” about newest technologies and legislations has put everybody on the back-foot. We have to educate ourselves and start impactful conversations — let students learn about psychological ramifications of online sexual abuse and explore issues like technology risks, cyber safety, let parents realise the importance of monitoring and supervision of online activities of their children and let us all know more about the existing legislations in place that can come to our aid.
The “sharks” are on the prowl, and the time to act is now.
Trina Chakrabarti is Director Eastern Region, CRY – Child Rights and You
Views expressed are the authors’ own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth
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