Tuesday, 11 July 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Women Empowerment and Child Development (WECD) minister Rekha Arya said that children are becoming victims of online exploitation due to excessive use of online services and the internet. She said this while speaking as the chief guest at a State consultation on protection of children from online sexual abuse which was organised by the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) here on Monday.
Arya said that she believes that as citizens of the country, all have to develop the concept of zero tolerance towards violence and sexual abuse against children. She said that children are the future of the country, and protecting them is the most important responsibility of the family, society and country. To fulfill this, it is the responsibility of all the institutions and people of the society to stay united, she added.
The minister further stated that technology plays a very important role but its side-effects are also seen somewhere in the children. She further said that organising such workshops is necessary in the current times. Children are the future of the country and they must be aware of such actions, she added.
The SCPCR chairperson Dr Geeta Khanna shared some facts regarding online child sexual abuse. She said that to prevent online exploitation, the commission has organised many awareness programmes at the school level. Khanna said that content available on OTT platforms should also be censored.
The director general of police Ashok Kumar said that online child abuse is not an uncommon issue. He said that online sexual abuse is an issue which is growing at an alarming rate. The DGP further stressed that the general public should be aware of such cases as it is a new emerging threat facing children.
