In a common Facebook page opened by students of a school to carry out group study, a disparaging video showing a school teacher was uploaded. This came to the knowledge of the teacher who then took legal steps. After investigation, the police detained three children below 18 years, gave them warnings and following a written pledge let them go.
In another case, a girl of class nine developed a relation with a guy named Raihan and at one point gave him some intimate photos. When the relationship broke, Raihan opened a fake account and began blackmailing the girl. Eventually, the police were informed and Raihan plus two of his accomplices were arrested.
These are just two incidents of hundreds; children and teenagers are becoming regular victims of cyber-crime. Specialists say that every day, 400 children become victims of cyber-crime.
In many cases, victims are afraid to inform the family of their cyber entanglements which are often at the edge of legality.
Law enforcers say that with the easy availability of information and IT technology, almost every child uses the net but many do not know how to protect themselves from predators or unethical cyber entities.
Thus they are vulnerable to hacking, intimidation, cyber bullying, porn etc. Sometimes, children end up in forbidden websites and become hooked on them.
Specialists also say that criminals target children who play games on the net and lure them into their traps.
There is a broad consensus that to protect children, an Online Child Protection Plant guideline is essential. Deputy Commissioner of Cyber Security and Crime Department of DMP, Md. Alimuzzaman said: “In the cyber world, most children are victims rather than perpetrators. When we get a complaint, we investigate the issue but when the child is below 18, we deal it with leniency.”
Saying that family of a child has to be alert in protecting children from cyber vices, he observed: “Family has to monitor what the child is doing online.”
A survey by Ain O Salish Kendra, ASK, has found that almost 35.7 per cent of children between the ages 8 and 18 have own phones. Of this, 61. 3 per cent are boys while 16.9 per cent are girls.
Of the surveyed, 52 per cent boys have Facebook account against 15 per cent girls.
Executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra, Shipa Hafiz, feels that “to stop online exploitation of children we need to raise awareness. The government must include the issue of cyber-crime in text books.”
Internet providers also have a duty to play in controlling crime, added Shipa.
It’s believed that 70 per cent Internet users are at risk and 20 per cent are involved in some form of cyber-crime.
Crime Data Management of police says: “From 2013 till 2018, 3659 cases were lodged under information technology law and of these, one fourth happened in Dhaka.”
Cyber-crime specialist, Tanvir Hassan Zoha, observes: “The involvement of children in cyber-crime is a global scourge; but we do not have a guideline to counter it in Bangladesh as yet.”
We need an Online Child Protection Plant to control cyber-crimes, replicating the one in the USA, he added.