Headline Diplomat eJournal – Issue 1, Series 2
The perilous lenses of COVID-19: The sociopolitical impact
Vassilia Orfanou, Editor in Chief, Headline Diplomat, LUDCI.eu
The COVID-19 pandemic has left millions of people locked in their homes for weeks or even months on end. This isolation has left children and sex offenders at home with more opportunities to interact. Schools are shut down and parents spend their days working online leaving more unsupervised time for their children.
Sex offenders are using this time to groom and exploit children through numerous means including online gaming, online apps, and social media.
“With both children and sexual offenders confined at home, law enforcement authorities have seen in the past few months the amount of child sexual exploitation material shared online increasing globally,” Europol said in a statement to ABC News.
COVID-19 Pandemic Leads to Increased Sexual Content Online
Sexual predators use the lockdown as an opportunity to seek out children to exploit and to purchase illicit underage sexual content via the dark web and peer-to-peer networks. The lockdown has led to more people visiting illegal sites for the content and it is increasing.
Children no longer have access to teachers to talk about their problems and parents are often preoccupied with work during the day, leaving the children alone and unsupervised. This gives sexual predators easier access to children and more opportunities for abuse. “What is most worrying is the increased online activity by those seeking child sexual abuse material,” Europol director Catherine De Bolle told a hearing in the EU Parliament.
According to Europol, it is easier than ever for paedophiles and other sexual predators to find like-minded people to trade content. The use of online apps that use computer and mobile phone cameras have made it easier to prey upon children.
The pandemic has also created an economic downturn, which may lead some predators to create and sell illicit content as a method of financial gain.
Parents Need to Control Access for Children
The key to preventing the proliferation of illicit online content and contact with predators is to educate children about the issue and monitor their online activities. According to Europol, children should be taught to block unwanted requests from strangers and to alert them if anyone contacts them.
The organisation also suggests that online cameras should always be covered when not in use. Parents should also use online parental control filters and to know what apps and websites they use to make sure they are age-appropriate.
Europol has a large resource available to help parents educate their children about the hazards of online use and avoiding predators.
Europol Continues to Monitor the Problem
With the pandemic still in full swing, the increase in sexual predation is expected to continue at least until school starts again. Once school begins, children will have less time unsupervised and increased access to teachers and other adults to talk to about any problems.
Europol promises to continue helping police agencies across the globe in identifying and stopping sexual predators. As more of the world opens, there will hopefully be a decrease in these activities and we are committed to report, warn, and publicise any activities going the opposite direction.
Conclusion:
Law enforcement officers have stepped up their efforts to stem the tide of increased child sexual abuse caused by COVID-19 isolation. As the world opens up again, this should decrease, but law enforcement efforts will not give up on apprehending these criminals.
Featured photo by Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels
