CASES of online sexual molestation of minors, in which they are coaxed into stripping naked and striking indecent poses during video chats, have been rising, according to experts, who say action is needed to protect the younger generation. Statistics from the Girls’ Protection Project at the China Foundation of Culture and Arts for Children show that 39 of the 317 cases of molestation targeting juveniles reported by the media last year were committed by people the victims knew online. Sixteen of the cases happened on online chat platforms. They involved tricking minors into sending nude photos and videos of themselves, getting them to strip naked while chatting, and adopting indecent poses. Tong Lihua, director of a juvenile law research center in Beijing, said, “Such cases used to involve actual physical contact, but now they’re moving online. The offender doesn’t even need to meet the young victim, but the harm caused really exists out there. What’s worse, you never know how fast these photos and videos can spread and the extent to which they can reach.” Experts said this means that prevention against sexual assault is now more challenging for parents, as Internet use by children through smartphones and tablets has become widespread. In May last year, a man in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province who molested 31 children over an 18-month period through video chats by saying he was looking for underage film stars, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The court said he tricked the children into getting naked during video chats and, when they refused, forced some of them to continue by threatening to spread previous nude footage of them online. He stored the video clips on his laptop and portable hard drives. Su Wenying, a child protection officer at the China office of UNICEF, said: “It is getting harder for parents to discover such cases, as children usually won’t take the initiative to tell them, because of fear and shame. They may also be uncertain about how their parents can help if they do tell them. The situation calls for higher requirements for parental supervision and care, management of online platforms, and judicial case handling,” she said. Last year, the Girls’ Protection Program surveyed more than 16,000 parents nationwide, with only 42 percent of respondents saying they would keep a strict eye on the Internet content accessed by their children. Twenty-five percent said that from time to time they remind their children about the “positive use” of the Internet. Only about 40 percent of respondents said they could determine from their children’s comments and behavior whether they had encountered sexual molestation, according to the survey results, which were published in March. Some experts said that in such cases, updated theoretical and technical support should be provided to assess the harm done to young victims. Zhao Junfu, a criminal cases judge at the Supreme People’s Court, said professional psychological services should provide technical assistance to assess the social harm caused by such crimes, and sentencing should reflect not only the physical but the psychological impact on the victims. Lin Zi, a psychologist reviewing a sex education manual for minors launched by the China Children and Teenagers’ Fund, said that compared with physical harm resulting from sexual assault, psychological harm is usually more “latent and lasting.” “Extreme fear, anxiety, distrust of the outside world and even parents, self-blame, and a sense of inferiority may make some victims hostile or hold back for a long time, and may lead to a serious change in their character,” said Lin, vice-chairwoman of the Shanghai Psychological Counseling Association. (China Daily) |