special feature What can parents do to protect their children? • Communicate with your children about potential online dangers. • Spend time with your children online. Have them teach you about their favourite websites. • Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in a child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for an offender to communicate with a child when the computer screen is visible to a parent or another member of the household. • Understand, even if your child seems to be a willing participant in any form of sexual exploitation, that they are not at fault but the victim. Such actions are always the abuser’s responsibility despite them trying to convince the child otherwise. • Instruct your children: 1. to never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met online; 2. to never send pictures of themselves on the internet or online service to people they do not personally know; 3. to be aware that all that is posted online can never be removed; 4. to never give out identifying information such as their name, home address, school name or telephone number; 5. to never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance they could be sexually explicit images; 6. to never respond to messages or postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing; 7. that whatever they are told online may or may not be true. Aġenzija Appoġġ runs a hotline service to deal with child abuse over the internet. The Hotline team within Aġenzija Appoġġ operates an online reporting system which receives reports regarding potentially harmful online activity, and of websites containing Child Indecent Material. The Hotline team also offers support and guidance to children who encounter or have encountered some form of abuse online and delivers awareness sessions to children, teachers and parents on how to use the internet safely and on how to report when faced with illegal content. To report abuse, you can either phone Supportline 179 or visit the websites www.besmartonline.org.mt or www.appogg.gov.mt, search for the red button marked REPORT ABUSE and you will be directed on how to report illegal content encountered online.
"Communicate with your children about potential online dangers"
Besmartonline! Aġenzija Appoġġ is a partner with the Besmartonline! project, which is an EU-funded project led by the Malta Communications Authority. BeSmartOnline! brings together the efforts of national stakeholders working towards the safer use of the internet by children and youths. Further information is available from www.besmartonline.org.mt. Aġenzija Appoġġ (www.appogg.gov.mt) forms part of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (www.fsws.gov.mt), which also incorporates Aġenzija Sedqa (www.sedqa.gov.mt) and Aġenzija Sapport (www.sapport.gov.mt).
Reference:
Correction: Please note that FSWS’ feature entitled ‘Finding time to Parent’, which appeared in last month’s issue was
Article provided by Foundation for Social Welfare Services
Portelli as was stated. Any inconvenience caused is regretted.
http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide
written by Charmaine Mifsud Cardona, Family Therapist/Senior Practitioner at Aġenzija Appoġġ, and not Christine
March 2013 Issue 39 vida.com.mt
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