ONLINE exploitation of children for sex poses a grave challenge to governments worldwide. It is a grave problem that requires countries to join forces to fight the menace that jeopardizes the lives of children everywhere. The Saudi government has passed several laws and pieces of legislation to combat this negative practice and protect children against being exposed to immoral or pornographic content online, especially on social media websites. However, more needs to be done to secure the Internet and prevent pornographic content from popping up on children's laptops, cell phones and tablets, Al-Riyadh daily reports. Forms of abuse Muhammad Al-Saadi is the head of the child online anti-abuse unit at the Ministry of Interior. He said part of the problem with fighting pornography is that many countries do not control online content and as a result, sexual content is widespread and easily accessible to both adults and children. Available in one country, it can easily be shared with users in another. "Saving pornographic content on computers or laptops is a crime punishable by law. Exposing a child to sexual content online is also a crime punishable by law all over the world. Luring children online for sexual purposes is the most dangerous practice sexual predators engage in. Children can easily be lured on social media websites and through online games," Al-Saadi explained. Awareness Many members of the public are unaware that the Ministry of Interior has a cybercrime unit. Launching awareness campaigns to educate the public on the types of cybercrimes is important. "We need to encourage people to use the Internet positively and stay clear of pornographic content and child exploitation practices. We have to explain to parents how to protect their children against being exploited by sexual predators on the Internet," he said. Al-Saadi said the duty to protect children falls on parents, teachers as well as civil institutions who must educate children about the different forms of online sexual exploitation. "Parents must keep a close eye on their children, sons and daughters every time they surf the Internet. They can use parental control devices to keep their children away from harmful sites with sexual content," he said. Electronic devices Maj. Gen. Jaman Al-Ghamdi, assistant director of public security at the Ministry of Interior, said promulgating videos or photos with sexual content online is a crime. "If we discover any suspicious activity, we conduct exhaustive investigations and use the help of highly-qualified technical experts to gather information and nail down the culprit," he said. He agreed that a large number of people are unaware of the penalties imposed for online child exploitation activities, which is why the Ministry of Interior is exerting great efforts to increase public awareness of cybercrimes. In his opinion, laptops and tablet PCs are one reason why child exploitation crimes are widespread. "There are people who have dedicated their lives to promulgating pornographic content. Parents need to monitor websites surfed by their children and keep a close eye on the way they use any electronic device they are allowed to have," he said. Maj. Gen. Al-Ghamdi called on all members of the public to use their electronic devices responsibly and avoid browsing pornographic content or engaging in child exploitation practices. He urged mosque imams to shed more light on the issue as well as cybercrimes and warn people against the legal consequences of such actions.
