Hot topic nowadays, pedophiles. You see them on the news, social medias, real life. Let’s not forget another version, the virtual perpetrator. The world is different today. Children know gadgets and access the virtual world from frightfully young age. Boundaries, do they understand? Even we don’t sometimes. You see adults scammed online to send their nude pictures to strangers. You see adults getting raped or kidnapped when meeting strangers known online.
Don’t you think it’ll be easier if the victims are children? It is.
Do you think the victims fully understand what’s going on? They don’t. So most offences go on repeatedly.
Do you think that the perps are scary to the victims? Most often not.
They often prime or groom the victims, make themselves a friend, ply the victims with pictures and videos and “examples” and tell them these are what people always do. Sometimes, the perps are someone they are already familiar with and trusted. Do you think violence are involved in all cases? No. In fact, some victims protect and love the perps and it’s not even a case of Stockholm syndrome. You think these only happen in the city or among “not-so-religious/educated” people? No. I kid you not.
Do you think it’s easy to catch a perp and put him on trial? Let alone many perps. How long do you think that will take? Especially for cold cases. Do you know about the dark web / darknets? And what happens there?
It’s no longer an option to say “I don’t know how to use the gadget/apps, unlike my child”. Like it or not, you have to move along with the times.
Teach your child boundaries.
Teach yourself tech “stuff”. Be tech savvy.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Medical Gazette.
Dr. Noor Melissa bt Nor Hadi is a medical doctor and currently 3rd year, MMED Psychiatry (UiTM) from Jabatan Psikiatri, Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Kedah.
[This article belongs to The Malaysian Medical Gazette. Any republication (online or offline) without written permission from The Malaysian Medical Gazette is prohibited.]