Child rights experts pointed out that with the rapid rise in the number of smartphone and internet users, there has also been increasing concern over the welfare and safety of children in the country.
In a move to raise awareness about online and digital safety for children through the media, UNICEF and Thozhamai, an NGO, held a workshop titled ‘Media Round Table’ at Hotel Park on Friday.
“In Chennai, out of the 100 people who have mobile phones, 30 have access to internet, and the number is rising significantly,” said Sugata Roy, communications specialist, UNICEF.
“During such times, it is important to offer parental support and guidance to children who have access to the internet. This is very important and will help children a lot,” he said.
Adding to this, Sonia Sarkar, communications officer, UNICEF, pointed out that cyber crime in India was under-reported and also listed out the common forms of online abuse, which included cyberbullying, online sexual abuse, online sexual exploitation, cyber extremism, online commercial fraud, habit formation and online enticement to illegal behaviour and grooming.
“There are no reliable figures on the extent, patterns and trends of online child abuse and exploitation in India, since comprehensive surveys have not been carried out on these issues,” Ms. Sarkar said.
Lack of data
While several information and communication technology companies have conducted surveys and polls, they do not provide much data regarding online risks. Also, although the national crime statistics included a category called cybercrime, this focused only on commercial fraud and online radicalisation, with no specific mention of online child abuse, experts at the discussion noted.
Engaging journalists
They also engaged journalists and discussed the kinds of reports they can publish to raise awareness.
“The media has a great role to play. Also, there is an urgent need to study evidence and research in this area. If left overlooked, it will only lead to trouble,” said Ms. Sarkar.
