SID 2018 in Slovakia: Sexual abuse of minors – "Who's next?"

In Slovakia, the Safer Internet Day (SID) 2018 event was organised by eSlovensko and Child safety line (LDI) with a localised theme of "Sexual abuse of minors - Who's next?". The main partner of the event was the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic.

Date 2018-03-05 Author Slovakian Safer Internet Centre Section awareness, sid

The event included the presentation of a four-year-long research project on "Forensic psychological aspects of child sexual abuse" by RNDr. Mgr. Dušan Kešicky, PhD. Besides other findings, the study analysed and followed the case of a man chased for keeping and disseminating computer-based child sexual abuse material (CSAM) - this man managed to acquire 1,661 Slovak social network profiles within 16 months.

PaedDr. Katarína Hollá, PhD. surprised the audience with facts regarding sexting. Almost 30 per cent of Slovak adolescents aged between 11 and 18 have received a request to send a naked photo of themselves. Furthermore, 16 per cent of Slovak minors have participated in active self sexting in the form of sending photographs exposing full or part nudity. A total of 1,619 students from secondary and primary schools participated in the research.
Mgr. Tatiana Ivanic Rybanská delivered a presentation outlining her experiences of working with the Child Safety Line, Pomoc.sk. Over the past three years, one child daily has contacted the line with an issue of sexual violence.

An overview of Stopline.sk reports of online illegal content, including child sexual abuse of children, was presented by JUDr. Marek Kmec, who pointed out that the number of reports rose from 4,104 to 6,609 in 2017. The highest number of reports related to child sexual abuse material. Stopline.sk has existed since 2010 and became part of the INHOPE international network of hotlines in 2012. The lines work closely with the Computer Crime Department of the Criminal Police Office of the Presidium of the Police Corps and the Academy of Police Corps.

According to the project manager of eSlovensko Bratislava, PhDr. Nataša Slavíková, sexual abuse of children in the virtual space has many forms. According to official data, from a total of 3.2 billion internet users, minors represent one quarter. Experts estimate that one in five minors is sexually abused, while insufficient information favours offenders. She further added: "Minors face a real threat in the online environment and we should respond adequately, through comprehensive regulation of legal, technical and educational means, including clear media education in the context of lifelong learning."

Also at the SID event, the upcoming Slovak movie "Who's next?" was previewed inspired by real stories from the virtual world of youth, including sexual extortion. Celeste Buckingham, Slovakian SID Ambassador, commented: "I saw the first cut of the movie and I am overwhelmed by the story of the girl. Compassionate with her, not just because it's true, but because I've also experienced a sense of helplessness as a teenager. I was not able to reconcile myself with my personal experience in this area. That's why I'm glad that such a movie is going to be available in Slovakia so kids like me will not be afraid to talk about it."

The successful singer was also involved in the preparation of the movie itself, bringing her own feelings into focus through a movie theme song.

The event also included a workshop on online sexual abuse, along with dissemination of professional texts.

See the Slovakian Safer Internet Day profile page for further information.

Find out more about the work of the Slovakian Safer Internet Centre (SIC), including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services.

Related news