A resident of Berdychiv region committed lewd acts against a minor and filmed: how to protect a child
War brings destruction and suffering not only through hostilities, it creates additional threats within the country. Children find themselves in a vulnerable position, becoming victims of shelling, deportations, and criminals among their own population. The chaos of war opens up opportunities for kidnapping, sexual assault and cybercrime.
A terrible case in Zhytomyr region
One of the heinous crimes took place in Zhytomyr region, where a 57-year-old man was charged with molesting a minor, forcing him to create pornographic content, and possessing child pornography. About it on February 7 informs RIO Berdychiv.
According to the investigation, the suspect met the child on the Internet, manipulating her consciousness and exerting psychological influence, forced her to record video footage and send it to him. Then he met with the victim, took her to a forest strip and committed lewd acts of a sexual nature on her, which he recorded on video. At the same time, he saved the produced video with child pornography on his computer.
It was also established that the person involved, with the help of special software, gained access to prohibited sites, from where he downloaded and saved videos with child pornography for several years. During the search, more than 400 graphic and video files containing child pornography were seized from the suspect’s home computer.
Under the procedural guidance of the juvenile prosecutor of the Berdychiv district prosecutor’s office, a local resident was informed of the suspicion of committing lewd acts against a minor, intentionally obtaining access to child pornography using information and telecommunication systems and its storage without the purpose of sale and distribution, as well as forcing a minor to participate in the creation of pornographic video productions (part 2 of article 156, part 4 Article 301, Part 1 of Article 301-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
This case once again emphasizes the need to strengthen security measures for children, especially in times of crisis, when the public’s attention is focused on military events, and criminals take advantage of this to realize their criminal intentions.
How parents can protect their children
To prevent such crimes, parents should pay maximum attention to the safety of their children. Here are some key recommendations:
- Control of online activity. War forces children to spend more time on the Internet, which increases the risk of contact with dangerous individuals. Parents should know with whom the child communicates, which sites he visits and which applications he uses.
- Teaching digital literacy. Children need to be taught that it’s okay to send personal photos or videos to strangers, even if they seem friendly. It is also worth teaching them to recognize manipulations and threats in the network.
- Regular safety conversations. It is necessary to form a trusting relationship so that the child can talk about any suspicious situation without fear. It is important to explain that criminals can use psychological pressure and deception.
- Use of parental controls. There are many programs that help limit access to dangerous content and monitor the activity of a child on the Internet.
- Rules of behavior with strangers. It is necessary to teach the child not to trust people he knows only through social networks, not to agree to meetings without the parents’ knowledge and not to disclose personal information.
- Prompt response to threats. If a child has become a victim of suspicious communication, you should contact the police, cyber police or specialized organizations that help victims of online crime.
The war made Ukrainian children even more vulnerable, and the most infuriating thing is that crimes against them are committed not only by enemies, but also by their own fellow citizens. Warning and quick response to threats, control of online space and close communication with children will help avoid tragedies. It is important to remember: the safety of children is the responsibility not only of parents, but also of the whole society.
