Regardless of age, we can fall in love with people we meet online, trust people we get to know on social networks and want to build a beautiful relationship. But anyone can hide behind a profile. Therefore, the specialists of the Children Program of the International Center La Strada recommend that parents help and guide children and teenagers to understand that they can encounter manipulative behaviors on the part of other people online.
On Safer Internet Day / SID, the specialists of La Strada bring up the topic of online sexual abuse of children through a video spot that we made differently from previous campaigns.
The myth about child sexual abusers perceived as “unfamiliar, strange and scary people” works in favor of abusers, directing the attention of parents and caregivers to imaginary dangers. In fact, most online abusers are friends of the child, often liked by children, with whom they have established a trusting relationship.
La Strada specialists emphasize that parents need to know that, with the evolution of a relationship, child sexual abusers can show children images of pornographic nature in order to disinhibit and desensitize the child to sexual behaviors, to normalize and learn sexual behavior. Gradually exposing children to images of pornographic nature can encourage a child’s sexual curiosity and increase the likelihood of online or offline sexual contact.
Elena BOTEZATU, Executive Director of La Strada Moldova:
“From the accounts of survivors of online child sexual abuse in our country, which we also referred to in a study published recently, we know that many parents do not recognize online sexual abuse and do not consider it to be a form of sexual abuse, thus blaming the child and placing all responsibility on the child. This year, we want you to listen to the thoughts of the abuser and his motivations. We resorted to this tougher method of communication and awareness-raising with one goal – to reach out to parents and child carers. By understanding the way an adult motivated to abuse a child thinks, by knowing their manipulation techniques, we become better equipped, as adults, in our ultimate mission to protect our children. This is how we are hopefully mitigating, at least a little, the impulse of some adults to put the blame on the child. Because this is the worst thing that we can do to a child who has been through abuse – to blame him, even in part.”
Statistics of siguronline.md for the year 2021 show that more and more teenagers choose to have friendly or romantic relationships online. This trend is directly related to the epidemiological situation. Therefore, online relationship problems they faced have also manifested more intensely than before. 87% of appeals came from children, which demonstrates that parents should be more involved in discussions about online safety.
Safer Internet Day marks the start of several intense weeks with online safety events, activities, competitions and projects. They are all designed to amplify the efforts of adults in creating a safe, good and creative space for children online, in order to prevent online abuse and sexual exploitation of children.
This year, La Strada implements the Safer Internet Day campaign in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, with the financial support of the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau.
As a national SID Committee, La Strada Moldova implements the campaign of the international SID initiative in Moldova under the title “Together for a Better Internet”. For 19 years, the purpose of this campaign remains the same: to mobilize citizens, civil society, companies, authorities and the general public to ensure a better and safer internet for young internet users. Today, this initiative is marked in circa 200 countries around the world. On social media, messages from campaign supporters can be found under the hashtags #SaferInternetDay, #SID2023, #SigurOnline.