Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Khalil JELASSI
Published on 2024-04-17 10:05:03
In the digital age, social media offers a borderless cyberspace where children and adolescents explore, interact, and connect. However, behind the apparent friendliness of these virtual spaces, there are sometimes very real dangers. Sexual predators lurk, protected behind their screens, using the protective anonymity to target innocent prey.
It all started on social media when a Facebook post caused an uproar, leading to the belief that an adult was trying to lure children, bribe them, seduce them, and then blackmail them, threatening to distribute compromising videos. Immediately, the Ministry of Women announced through a public statement last Sunday that judicial and security authorities have taken measures to conduct the necessary investigations following the publication of this video.
Furthermore, the department announced a series of measures following this case of cyberbullying targeting children. A legal complaint was filed with the Public Prosecutor’s Office. A crisis unit was also created within the department to provide necessary assistance to the victims and their families, it was communicated. The ministry also decided to enhance the technical performance of the helpline 1809 to receive complaints from victims.
So far, two victims, aged 12, have been identified. Their families have been contacted for support. The public prosecutor’s office has taken up the case.
With the spread of this publication on social media, children were unable to publicly denounce the reprehensible acts they had been subjected to. The Ministry of Family emphasizes that child protection commissioners did not receive any prior notification and are closely monitoring the case to ensure the immediate protection of child victims.
“In fact, it was the mother of one of the victims who was able to identify the criminal by posing as her son and thus trapping the pedophile. It turned out that he has been living in Italy for several years. He could be part of an international network of sexual exploitation of minors,” said an activist based in Italy. “This can only prove the existence of a network related to this case. We have been following the case from Italy. According to the available data, the individual in question would be in Verona (northern Italy). Even if he is an undocumented immigrant, the Italian police can locate him,” he affirmed.
However, according to the latest information, associations and civil society activists have also decided to bring legal action against this harasser of minors._contacted for this purpose, the delegate for child protection in Tunis, Anis Aounnalah, said that a police investigation and a judicial inquiry are being carried out. As for the phenomenon itself, our interlocutor acknowledged that these cases of harassment of minors through social media have been on the rise lately, “because the digital space offers anonymity,” he warned.
Asked about child protection, Anis Aounallah explained that the misuse of these platforms and the lack of parental supervision aggravate the situation. “I urge all parents to contact child protection delegates at the slightest doubt, as identifying the victims is an essential step in prosecuting the perpetrators of these crimes,” he warned, recalling that the department provides parents with a helpline.
Given the unprecedented growth of digital platform usage, cybercrime and especially sexual predators have unfortunately prospered. Often left to their own devices, alone in front of their screens, children can easily be exposed to dangerous situations. Online predators often target vulnerable children, taking advantage of their innocence and lack of understanding of the risks associated with the Internet.
Technically, how can we protect our children? Contacted to answer our questions, the National Cyber Security Agency (ANSC) recalls that it has repeatedly warned against the misuse of the Internet and social media by children as well as the lack of parental supervision. The agency provides parents, through its website, with free parental control services, limiting access to certain websites with undesirable content, as well as an application aimed at raising children’s awareness against such risks, plus a cyber security guide.
“Parents can submit a request to internet service providers to provide a secure virtual space and monitoring mechanisms to protect children from exploitation. We must also instill a culture of dialogue within the family and open communication channels with the child to raise awareness about phenomena related to the misuse of new technologies,” explained Amal Oueslati, communication officer at the agency.
ANSC has also warned children against exchanging messages with strangers via social media, urging parents to engage in constructive dialogue with their children, explaining that the solicitation process for younger ones on certain websites and platforms is done through psychological manipulation or material temptations to extract personal information from them in order to trap them and put them in a state of lack or addiction, pushing them to adopt reprehensible behaviors.
Reflecting on this shocking harassment case, the president of the Association for the Defense of Children’s Rights, Moez Cherif, stated that the latest statistics show that 83% of Tunisian children are exposed to violence in various forms. “Minors are the category most exposed to the dangers of the Internet and cyber violence; parents are the first line of defense against these forms of violence and must play a crucial role in this regard, while their monitoring efforts are often limited,” he explained to La Presse, deeming it necessary to increase awareness campaigns, especially in the media and in the digital space itself.
Cherif emphasized that protecting children is a collective responsibility and it is our duty to inform the relevant authorities of any reported violence. “We have a duty to protect our children and not control them. The tools, means, and computer knowledge of parents are often limited compared to those of their children, but adults are called to be more vigilant,” he insisted.
He concluded that his association advocates for cyber citizenship because, in his opinion, a whole culture of protecting children against cyber crimes must be instilled in society and supported by the state. To this end, he reminded that ANCS provides parents with child protection kits.
According to our interlocutor, a great deal of awareness and information work is needed to support these efforts to protect minors in the digital space, emphasizing that public schools should also adopt and introduce new modules for digital education.
In light of this serious harassment case, the Ministry of Family reminds that our country has a legal, social, and institutional system guaranteeing children’s rights and deterring any threat that jeopardizes their best interests. It emphasizes the importance of respecting the obligation to notify the child protection delegate of anything that could threaten the physical and moral safety of the child.
However, to combat this scourge, it is essential for parents, educators, and authorities to take more measures to protect young internet users in cyberspace. This can involve educating children on online safety practices, monitoring their activities, using parental control software, and reporting any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities. Authorities should work to tighten laws and regulations to combat cybercrime targeting children, while collaborating with technology companies and digital platforms to develop tools and technologies that can help protect highly exposed young internet users, indeed!
Read the original article(French) on La Presse Tunisie
