Past Event Review
The Internet a blessing or dangerous Curse
Date:8
Spetember 2011
Press release - Rothko PR
Deputy Minister says sex crimes on increase and parents must take action
Speaking at the launch of a joint initiative between the Film and Publication
Board (FPB) and the Department of Home Affairs on 8 September, Deputy Minister
of Home Affairs, Fatima Chohan, said “the latest crime statistics show that
sexual crimes against children are on an upward trajectory and we need to inform
the public of the danger inherent in social media and the wider Internet that is
threatening our children”.
Co-hosted by the Businesswomen’s Association, the launch included a panel
discussion and pre-screening of the film ‘Trust’, which clearly illustrates the
potential dangers of children accessing the internet and interacting with others
through social media. “Our message is clear - In terms of the threat to
children, cyberspace presents a whole new dimension that has never existed
before,” she said.
The joint initiative was created to facilitate discussions between women
across the country about the realities and dangers of children using
communication platforms like the Internet, and to raise awareness among mothers
of the risks associated with this technology.Panel member Marlene Wasserman, aka
Dr Eve, revealed some startling statistics: 75 percent of children online are
using instant messenger services (IMS), 60 percent admit to giving out personal
information on the web, 70 percent report to having seen inappropriate images on
the web, and 70 percent of these say they were exposed to these images by age
11.
The largest number of sexual victims are victimised by people their own age.
“How do nine or ten year olds get it into their minds to hurt another person?
They see these images as examples of behaviour. Parents don’t realise that our
children are being parented by everything they view. Even if they are seeing a
simple kiss, children don’t know how to contextualise this,” said Dr Eve. She
said that a person’s decision-making capacity is only fully developed at the age
of 26. Until then they are shaped by the stimuli of their environment, “and now,
generally speaking, that environment is largely the Internet”. We need to
educate children, to understand their issues, to affirm their belief in
themselves, so that they have the confidence, and trust, to approach us when
there is the possibility of danger. The internet is a symptom of a problem,” she
said.
Chohan said that while government and governing bodies such as the FPB have a
role to play in combating the dangers, “government has to partner with society
to raise awareness and make people mindful of these dangers. To educate
children, we as a society have to educate ourselves, and react accordingly. In
modern life, the parent has to be the remote control,” she said.
Chohan believes that as educators, parents need to be obliged to educate
their children about sex. “As care givers you need to get on the same level as
children, learn to speak the same language. There is a role for you as parents
to play. As government we can only do so much, but as parents, as a family, that
is where a change can be made. Without your respect and understanding of the
children, without your protection, children are powerless.”
She closed the
evening by saying that initiatives such as this joint venture were vital in
reaching the public to inform them of the dangers and steps that need to be
taken.
“I hope that this will be taken further and that everyone will start
discussions and dialogue to spread the word. We as parents need to educate
ourselves about how these social sites work so that we know when something is
amiss. As long as we have parents who care, our society has hope,” she said.
Ends