iPath India

The presence of pornography on the INTERNET is a disturbing and growing phenomenon. With the increase in net users , pornography has become a big threat to all.

The most dangerous part of pornography is that they are mostly aimed at children. There are individuals who at first seduce children with affection, kindness, and even gifts. They listen to and empathize with the problems of children. They will be aware of the latest music, hobbies, and interests of children. These individuals attempt to gradually lower children's inhibitions by slowly introducing sexual context and content into their conversations.

Some offenders primarily collect and trade child-pornographic images, while others seek face-to-face meetings with children via on-line contacts. It is important for parents to understand that children can be indirectly victimized through conversation, i.e. "chat," as well as the transfer of sexually explicit information and material.

Some children may be hesitant to give out their home phone numbers, then the computer-sex offenders will give out theirs. With Caller ID, they can readily find out the child's phone number.

Computer-sex offenders will work very hard at driving a wedge between a child and their family or at exploiting their relationship. They will accentuate any minor problems at home that the child might have. Children may also become withdrawn after sexual victimization. The offenders almost always meet potential victims via chat rooms. After meeting a child on-line, they will continue to communicate electronically often via e-mail.

Even if you don't subscribe to an on-line service or Internet service, your child may meet an offender while on-line at a friend's house or cyber cafe. Most computers come preloaded with on-line and/or Internet software. Computer-sex offenders will sometimes provide potential victims with a computer account for communications with them.

If you find that your children are victimized by cyber pornographers, stalkers etc. please contact 022-2630829 - Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC) or Mumbai Police.

Risks to children
	Exposure to sexual or violent material
	Meeting people off line that could be dangerous
	Harassing messages
	Stalking

What to watch out for
	If your child begins to spend unusual amounts of time online.
	Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room
	If your child uses a large number of disks to store material from online services
	If you find disks hidden in unlikely places
	If you find your child on line in the early hours of the morning or very late at night.
	Your child receives phone calls from people you don't know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize.
	Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know.
	Your child becomes withdrawn from the family.
	Your child is using an on-line account belonging to someone else

What Should You Do in case of suspicion
	Consider talking openly with your child about your suspicions. Tell them about the dangers of computer-sex offenders
	Review what is on your child's computer. If you don't know how, ask a friend, coworker, relative, or other knowledgeable person. Pornography or any kind of sexual communication can be a warning sign.
	Don't hestitate to get the help of telecom dept. in identifying the calls to your phone.
	Monitor your child's access to all types of live electronic communications like chat rooms, instant messages, e-mail.

Minimize the Chances
	Communicate, and talk to your child about sexual victimization and potential on-line danger.
	Spend time with your children on-line and have knowledge about their favourite on-line destinations
	Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in your child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for a computer-sex offender to communicate with a child when the computer screen is visible to others
	Utilize blocking softwares. This will help you to limit your child's access to the websites.Following are some useful sites. Gulliver's Guardian (http://www.gulliver.nb.ca) Net Nanny (http://www.netnanny.com) RSACi (http://www.rsac.org) Surf Watch (http://www.surfwatch.com) Cyber Patrol (http://www.cyberpatrol.com)
	Always maintain access to your child's on-line account and randomly check his/her e-mail
	Teach your child the responsible use of the resources on-line.
	Find out what computer safeguards are utilized by your child's school, the public library, and at the homes of your child's friends.
	Understand, even if your child was a willing participant in any form of sexual exploitation, that he/she is not at fault and is the victim. The offender always bears the complete responsibility for his or her actions
Instructions for children
	Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met on- line
	Never upload (post) your pictures onto the Internet or on-line service to people you do not personally know
	Never give out identifying information such as your name, home address, school name, or telephone number
	Never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance there could be sexually explicit images
	Never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing
	Whatever you are told on-line may or may not be true