The Saudi Human Rights Commission said it had received 697 reports related to children’s rights and noticed an increase in the number of online child sexual abuse reports during coronavirusquarantine, local media reported.
Spokesperson Noura Al Haqbani said the commission addressed the authorities after monitoring a number of violations against children on social media, which blocked offensive content and prosecuted transgressors legally.
She did not elaborate on the number or type of online child abuse reports.
“Online harassment of children is a heinous crime that is prohibited by all regulations and laws, being a gross violation of the rights of the child, which requires concerted efforts of society and institutions to combat this phenomenon, and to strengthen cooperation between all parties to eliminate it, track offenders and hold them accountable,” Al Haqbani added.
Online child abuse does not get the public interest it warrants in large part because its horrific nature is hard to fathom and difficult to discuss, experts said.
Many millions of images and videos of children and even newborn babies being raped and abused – or of children coerced into performing sex acts on camera – constantly ricochet across the internet. What may begin as seemingly innocent chatting between strangers online can lead to “sextortion,” abduction and human trafficking, according to advocates and law enforcement.
The increase in reports tracks in the United States and abroad during the pandemic, experts said. Tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the clearinghouse for such information in the United States, nearly doubled from 6.3 million in the first half of 2019 to 12 million through June of this year. Reports of online enticement similarly spiked during that timeframe, from 6,863 to 13,268.
SOURCE : GULF NEWS
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