Latvian Safer Internet Centre together with State Children Rights Protection Inspectorate (VBTAI) have developed a self-help test to help uncover and respond to potential child seduction attempts online, as reported by the director of Safe Internet Centre Maija Katkovska at the opening of Dangerous Online Friendship campaign.
On 8 February, Safer Internet Day, the topic of seduction of children on the internet is the focus in Latvia. As Katkovska mentioned at the opening ceremony, forming friendship on the internet is a great way of finding people who share your interests and hobbies, socialize and expand horizons. However, not everything is as it seems on the internet, and not all internet users have good intentions.
Katlovska reported that in 2021 there was a major increase of reports received by Safer Internet Centre regarding sexual abuse of children, since children spend more time online during the pandemic.
At the opening of the campaign, Katlovska explained that thanks to cooperation with VBTAI, it was possible to develop a preventive test, which can be used to check if children have made contact with manipulators online. Children, their parents or child right protection specialists can use the test. There are also different information materials to help parents prepare for different preventive talks with children.
«I hope the developed test and its anonymous nature will help uncover the silenced cases of potential seduction of children. I also hope preventive measures will help uncover more cases in the future,» said Katlovska.
VBTAI deputy director Gunita Kovaļevska said sexual abuse on the internet can drastically distort children’s perception of self and the world around them, about their safety, make them doubt people and promote their isolation from other people. This is why it is important to make sure children, their parents and teachers are aware of the risks and are able to respond appropriately.
Latvian State Police Sex Crime Prevention Office chief Oļegs Lavčinosvkis reminded there is no single type of online manipulators. The manipulator could be a young and well-educated person doing it for money, a youngster doing it to get back at another, or a person using another person’s identity and information on social media.
Katkovska reminded that if parents have suspicion about a possible seduction of their child online, the first order of business is preserving correspondence and social network profiles as evidence. In such cases it is recommended to ask for help by calling a trust hotline 1161111, the Safer Internet Centre or the State Police.