The figure comes from a report published by Unicef last week. Boys are the main victims. 23% of minors confessed that they had never talked to anyone about the situations of violence they suffered. The police do not have the resources to deal with the problem. The limited knowledge of adults about the mechanisms of the Internet that affect adolescents.
Phnom Penh () – One in ten Cambodian children has been the victim of online sexual abuse in the last year. This is revealed in a report published last week by Unicef in collaboration with Interpol, the organization End Violence Against Children and the National Council for Children of Cambodia, under the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth.
The document, titled “Disrupting Harm in Cambodia”, shows that 11% of children between the ages of 12 and 17 who use the Internet have suffered some form of sexual exploitation through the Internet. Considering the Cambodian population, the figure translates to 160,000 children.
Specifically, 16% of minors were the object of sexually disturbing comments, which in 31% of cases occurred on social networks. Another 16% received unwanted sexual images, in many cases also through social platforms. Instead, 9% received requests to submit photos of themselves. In all these cases, the main victims were boys, who suffered almost twice as much abuse as girls. Most of the boys interviewed said that they avoided attempts to groomingbut some agreed to talk about sex online (29%), send a photo of their private parts (14%) and accept money or gifts in exchange for recording sexual videos.
The report also underlines the difficulty for victims to access a formal complaint channel: the majority of those surveyed said they did not know who to turn to, although many said they had spoken to a male friend or figure of reference. 23% did not talk about it with anyone out of fear or shame.
Teenagers and tweens use the Internet much more than parents and adults in general: “This discrepancy has implications, since educators are essential to help children navigate their lives online, identify risks and avoid situations of violence “, states the document.
Within Cambodian law enforcement, there are two units that deal with online sexual abuse: the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Department and the Cybercrime Department. Reports of sexual exploitation via the internet increased 267% between 2017 and 2019, but the Cambodian police response is hampered by limited staff training and a lack of equipment to collect and analyze digital evidence.
