An associate professor at the Department of Research and Criminal Investigation Sciences at Dubai Police Academy, Dr. Hossam Nabil Al-Shanraqi, warned of the dangers of not direct supervision of families on children's activities, during the current period that requires long periods of time staying in homes, indicating the possibility of children being exposed to sexual exploitation, and other risks , By cyber criminals targeting unsafe educational apps.
Al-Shanraqi said, in a report prepared by the Echo Academy, that excessive use of online communications by public authorities, companies and individuals alike, in light of the current conditions in the world, has opened the way for cyber criminals to target their victims easily, especially through applications. Unsafe educational. He added that cyber criminals have developed their criminal methods globally, to take advantage of the social, legal and psychological changes associated with the Corona virus to target children, whether new or more frequent users of the use of the Internet, pointing to monitoring attempts by these criminals to infiltrate virtual classes in the Internet.
He pointed out that, in light of global concerns about the sexual exploitation of children, through those chapters and photo-sharing sites that allow them to be easily targeted, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime recommends that governments and the private sector increase public awareness campaigns that are culturally sensitive and easily understood, stressing that reporting hotlines On the sexual abuse of anonymous children via the Internet, it is an important window to ensure a rapid response, especially in light of the large number of potential victims in the homes, and the emergence of many weaknesses through which these criminals can infiltrate. Al-Shanraqi explained that perpetrators are likely to try to benefit from vulnerable and emotionally isolated children through grooming, sexual coercion and extortion, as well as that children who are allowed to access the Internet without supervision are increasingly more vulnerable to exposure to these crimes via electronic games, and the use of chat groups in applications , Phishing, e-mail, spam contact on social media and other means.
He stressed the need to educate parents on how to smartly supervise their children and deal with them if they are exposed to any of these crimes, by avoiding being totally punished or intimidated and opening an ongoing dialogue with them, and realizing that the child victim of the perpetrator is never the child’s fault, noting the importance of informing the police directly, when any suspicion is suspected Of these crimes, through the platform (e-crime).
High index of child exploitation
Dr. Hossam Nabil Al-Shanraqi revealed that law enforcement agencies in Spain monitored a significant increase in the number of reports received from the public, via hotlines, on sexual exploitation materials for children online, since February to last March, and complaints increased by 100 complaints, compared to In the same months last year.
He pointed out that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the United States of America, and the National Center for Crime of Child Exploitation, monitored a significant increase in the index of child sexual exploitation via the Internet on their networks.
Denmark reported an increase in the number of attempts to access illegal websites that contain sexual exploitation materials for children, as more than 18 sites were searched for child pornography, about three times higher than a week to another, indicating an increase in activity This type of criminal is online, or at least the demand for child sexual exploitation material online.