PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Parents should actively monitor their children’s activities, whether they are boys or girls, particularly regarding social media, to prevent any negative consequences, including instances of sexual harassment or other unacceptable activity. The chairperson of the Uttarakhand State Commission for Women (USCW) Kusum Kandwal said this in light of a recent incident in Dehradun where a young man in religious attire was found under suspicious circumstances with a minor girl at a guest house.
Kandwal expressed her concern over this incident, noting a troubling rise in similar cases involving minor girls. She highlighted that the risk of such occurrences has been observed quite frequently in the State, largely due to the impact of social media. Through these platforms, many strangers are able to manipulate young females, particularly those under 18, in their interactions.
As a result, the girls involved become so manipulated that they come to trust him and suffer from such situations. She said that the recent incident may have been influenced by social media, implying that young men might have contacted the minors through these platforms. She voiced her concerns about the impact of social media, which seems to be contributing to an increase in these occurrences. Given this, Kandwal stated that parents or other family members need to monitor their children, paying attention not only to their daughters but also to their sons. Parents should ensure that there is a limited timeframe for their children’s use of social media, as well as being aware of who they are communicating with.
“In such cases, the commission also takes immediate notice. Additionally, the commission plans to write a letter to district magistrates across the State to ensure that it becomes mandatory for hotel and guest house owners, as well as others, to register customers visiting their establishments, particularly when the customers include females or minor girls,” Kandwal said.
She stressed that the DM’s should also instruct owners of guest houses, hotels and other places of accommodation that failure to comply with the registration directive or any similar incident occurring within their place will result in strict action against them.
