Social networks, the internet and all the digital ‘world‘ have been generating more opportunities for women to stand out in different fields, and have also increased their vulnerability to sexual violence.
It is precisely female minors who suffer the most from this scourge, both in digital environments and in physical spaces. According to preliminary data from the National Institute of Legal Medicine, in Risaralda in the first 2 months of 2023, 103 cases of sexual crimes were registered, of which 65 had an underage woman as the victim. One of the events was due to misleading contact via the internet.
Figures from the 2022 report of the International Association of Reporting Lines -INHOPE- 91% of the victims of sexual violence in digital environments correspond to women, of which 87.7% are between 3 and 13 years old. Additionally, in the annual report of the Internet Watch Foundation for 2022, it is recorded that in 96% of the images of child sexual abuse, girls are the most represented; in addition, 182,281 URLs contained images or videos of “self-generated” material. This represents an increase of 374% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
International Girls in Information and Communication Technology Day was commemorated on April 27, with the aim of encouraging girls and young women to consider the possibility of directing their studies and professions to the field of technological careers.
Likewise, the date served to attack and raise awareness about the distribution of material for the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, cyberbullying, the non-consensual dissemination of intimate content, grooming, among others.
Prevention and care
Through different strategies such as the video “Don’t suffer in silence: what to do about grooming” developed by the Marie Collins Foundation and adapted into Spanish by Red PaPaz, which exposes the problem of grooming and how it affects girls, children and adolescents. This highlights the importance of creating spaces of trust and opening listening channels that allow girls, boys and adolescents to communicate situations of this type.
Added to this is the Te Guío helpline, which provides guidance, via chat or call, on harmful sexual behavior in children and adolescents. Mothers, fathers, caregivers, teachers, minors can write to WhatsApp 314 8210435 or call the number 018005190690.