‘Stop Online Stalkers’ campaign to give voice to children & families

NGOs join hands with PVR to tackle rising online child abuse

A couple of child rights NGOs have teamed up with entertainment firm PVR to launch a campaign against rising cases of online child abuse in India.

Save Missing Girls and CyberPeace, two NGOs working in the domain of child rights, have come together with leading cinema exhibitor PVR to raise awareness about the rising menace of online child abuse and the highly vulnerable community of children.

According to a press statement, every 10 minutes a child in India either goes missing or is abused. “The campaign is an urgent intervention effort to tackle the distressing spike in online child abuse in India, a not-so-known side-effect of the lockdown. Cyberspace has become the preying ground for child predators and as long as the issue is unreported and undiscussed, it remains in the shadows, allowing these criminals to get away with the abuse, scot-free,'' says the statement.

It adds that the campaign ‘#StopOnlineStalkers' attempts to give children and their families a voice, to nudge the issue out in the open by encouraging communities to create safe spaces for their children to speak up, to offer them solutions and information on the issue, and its control and prevention.

The NGOs say that the campaign is an attempt to bring together all the stakeholders, children, parents, schools, mothers, fathers, communities, psychologists, cyber safety experts, policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and local administrations. Any one of these working independently cannot address the issue holistically. The intervention requires all of the above to unite and begin a dialogue for which the two have created a platform, ‘#StopOnlineStalkers'.

The statement adds that the campaign has kicked off with a first-of-its-kind awareness-building Public Service Announcement (PSA) film on the issue, which is being shown across the country at PVR INOX Cinemas to educate nearly 20 million parents, families, and children. The PSA gives everyone a clear understanding of the nature of cyberspace today.

The campaign also involves the launch of ‘SOS Forum', a talk show in partnership with schools in several cities where students are given a safe platform to express their concerns and experiences. Similarly, there is a group of proactive mothers who have already started raising awareness about the campaign and the underlying issue. The statement adds that vigilant parents are invited to join the SOS community, become aware, and advocate to create safe spaces to empower children, both online and offline.

“Trafficking like everything else evolves. It has been rapidly changing to take the form of online trafficking and impacting millions of people more since it is bound neither by geography nor the logistics of the trafficker,” says Leena Kejriwal, Founder of Missing Link Trust.

“Through the PSA film and the campaign, our objective is to dismantle the silence surrounding not only child sexual abuse, but a form of abuse not widely discussed, CSAM. We have a WhatsApp chatbot on 60030 60040, the SOS Child Online Safety Desk, to offer 24/7 information and resources to anyone from a worried child, worried parents, and concerned teachers. Today, every 10 minutes, a child in India either goes missing or is abused. It is time to raise the alarm!'' she adds.

As part of the awareness campaign, a special screening of an award-winning documentary on child trafficking in India, From the Shadows was organised and followed by a discussion with numerous experts on the issue, including cyber-psychologist Nirali Bhatia,  data privacy and technology lawyer practicing in the Supreme Court and High Courts of India Khushbu Jain, and certified Hacking and Forensic Investigator Nilakshi Jain and Ethical Hacker, a cyber security specialist representing CyberPeace.

The internationally acclaimed documentary directed by Miriam Chandy Menacherry, showcases the extent of child trafficking in India. The film follows two women working with survivors of child sex trafficking to take on the trafficking nexus in the country.

“It is truly heartening to see the strong response From the Shadows has got in Mumbai. The houseful PVR show demonstrates that even in the entertainment capital of India, people are hungry for real films and real people. Our documentary has taken 6 years to capture the story of India's missing girls. The survivors in the film have been courageous to share their stories and the more the audience connects… they will find ways to prevent the next child from going missing,” says Miriam Chandy Menacherry, director of the film.

“Cinema leaves a lasting impact on the message being played on the big screen. It has a transformative power to shape an individual's personality and eventually shape society. PVR INOX as the largest cinema exhibitor has been effectively utilizing its medium for societal good influencing young minds to causes that concern humanity and our environment. Through our association with the Missing Link Trust and CyberPeace, we feel proud to spread awareness among our highly engaged audience on online child abuse and child trafficking and change people's outlook and sensitize them towards their social issue,” says Deepa Menon, Founder Head, PVR NEST, the CSR wing of PVR.