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assisting in the realization of civil and social rights
10 intimate photos in exchange for an item in the game: how a 10-year-old girl became a victim of a pedophile
According to statistics, in 2022, more than 840 children in the Republic of Belarus became victims of crimes against sexual integrity and sexual freedom. Unfortunately, this number is steadily growing: compared to 2021, the number of victims has increased by more than 20%.
Most of these crimes are committed using the Internet. The Business Women's Club has repeatedly published materials on the prevention of sexualized violence against children: what should parents do to protect their child from criminals, how to behave if the child has already suffered, what rules should be followed when surfing the Internet, etc.
Today we decided to share with you the story of 10-year-old Angelina, who became a victim of a pedophile. We cannot publish the real stories of victims, especially minors: all calls to our hotline are anonymous and confidential. That's why we changed everything in this story: the circumstances and details of what happened, all the names, age, the way the perpetrator tried to molest the girl. However, the pattern that the pedophile followed is real.
Angelina is 10 years old, and she, like all children, likes to sit on social networks and play games. Every day after school, the girl went into the game "Avatar — a world where dreams come true." According to Vkontakte, 17 million players play it. This game is somewhat similar to the simplified The Sims: in the Avatar, you can create characters, dress them up, furniture their house and play together with other people.
In the game, Angelina met another girl, 12-year-old Karina. The girls started chatting in the Avatar chat. At first, they just discussed what was happening in the game, but gradually Angelina and Karina became friends and began to talk about their favorite music groups, YouTube bloggers, school, etc. Then Karina suggested going to Vkontakte to make it easier to communicate. Angelina agreed.
Although the girls had been talking for less than two weeks, Karina made a good impression on Angelina.: She was an understanding and supportive friend, ready to give advice. At one point, Angelina complained to her friend that she couldn't buy a Jacuzzi in the Avatar because she didn't have enough in-game currency. Then Karina offered to help her: the girl would deposit the amount needed to buy the item into the game, and Angelina would send her nude photos on VKontakte. Karina even showed Angelina an example by sending some intimate photos of another little girl. Angelina decided that nothing terrible would happen if she complied with her friend's request, and agreed to a "deal." The girls continued to chat as if nothing had happened, and Karina behaved amiably, as if she hadn't asked for any photos, and didn't recall this situation at all.
However, after a while, Karina again asked Angelina to send her intimate photos. The girl agreed again, but the requests didn't just stop, there were more of them. Then Angelina began to feel that something was wrong here. She had a feeling that Karina wasn't Karina at all, and she wasn't 12 years old at all. Angelina became very worried about these incomprehensible requests, so she decided to leave the game and block Karina on Vkontakte. After that, having gathered her strength, the girl shared her feelings with her mother.
Angelina's mother immediately sought help: she wrote a statement to the police and found a good psychotherapist for her daughter. Thanks to Mom's quick reaction, the culprit was soon found. This was indeed an adult man, and Angelina was not his only victim. Despite the fact that the pedophile managed to get 10 photos from the girl, Angelina quickly cut off this "communication" and did not meet with the criminal in reality. That's why this story has a good ending.
It is important to pay attention to the fact that only the pedophile criminal is to blame for what happened. Perhaps, after reading this article, you will want to know which mobile/computer games your child plays, which social networks he/she uses, and which people he/she communicates with. This is a good aspiration: if children have close, strong, trusting relationships with their parents, they are less likely to become victims of such crimes.
However, remember that it makes no sense to forbid a child to communicate on social networks and play games. Vkontakte could have been any other social network or messenger, and any other game could have been in place of the Avatar. Or they might not exist at all: such crimes are not the fault of games or the Internet, but the fault of people with bad intentions. Therefore, unfortunately, as long as such people exist, crimes will be committed. The best thing we can do is teach children to see lies, recognize manipulation, and respond appropriately to inappropriate actions and requests from adults.
If you have any questions about the prevention of sexual abuse of minors, as well as about the safety of children on the Internet, please use the information posted on our website!
8-801-201-5555, for calls on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, from landlines of mobile operators A1, MTC, life :) the call is free
+375162218888, for calls from abroad and on the territory of the Republic of Belarus - payment at long-distance rates
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If necessary, our staff will give you the phone numbers of organizations that provide assistance to victims..
