Telangana police urge for joint efforts to save kids from online predators

Hyderabad: The Telangana police chief today said online child sexual abuse has become a trend and urged all stakeholders to join hands to deal with the menace.

"Parents are providing all kinds of electronic gadgets to their children, who in turn, are accessing everything available online. Earlier children used to go out to play with friends, but now they make online friends and interact with them without leaving their homes," Director General of Police Anurag Sharma said here.

He was speaking at a conference on prevention of "Online Child Sexual Abuse" organised by Telangana CID here.

Online child sexual abuse has become a trend now. There are perverts who are willing to prey on children and it is prevalent in all societies, he said.

"Young boys are abused as much as young girls. Because of social and family pressure parents are afraid of handling the issue or bringing it out in the open.

"Children dont go to parents because in 90 per cent of cases, abusers are either family members or known persons. Because of this teachers have a role to play as they are the ones children trust most after their families," an official release quoted Sharma as saying at the meet.

Though police and NGOs are there, their role comes only after the abuse is reported. So teachers and schools play an important role in dealing with this problem, he stated.

The DGP advised schools to have a kiosk or booth with a telephone in their premises where a child can access helpline and complain in privacy.

"It is our responsibility to realise what is happening to our future generation. All stakeholders - police, media, educators and NGOs - should work together to minimise the risk to children from online predators," he added.