Study reveals rising cases of online sexual exploitation of children in Karnataka
BENGALURU: According to a state-level study conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) in collaboration with Child Fund India a growing number of children in Karnataka are becoming vulnerable to online sexual exploitation and abuse, while most parents, teachers and even government officials remain ill-equipped to address or prevent such risks. The study released on Friday, shows growing concerns over children’s online safety, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw increased unsupervised internet usage.
The report was made public by Basavaraj Horatti, Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council. It included 903 students in the districts of Bengaluru, Chamarajanagar, Raichur, Chikkamagaluru and Belagavi who were enrolled in school and between the ages of 8 and 18. The study employed multi-stage random sampling with six schools from each district, with 30 students from each school participating, representing three age groups: 8–11, 12–14, and 15–18 years.
The findings indicate that with approximately 10% (17% of boys and 4% of girls) having met those strangers in person, one in six teenagers reported having interacted with strangers online in the past year. Children from rural areas (12%) were slightly more likely than their urban counterparts (9%) to meet strangers offline. The report also revealed that 1% of children admitted to sharing intimate photos or videos with online strangers, while 7% disclosed personal information such as full names, phone numbers, addresses, personal photographs, and videos.
Teenagers aged 15 to 18 were identified as the most vulnerable group to unsafe online interactions. About 5% within this age bracket reported feeling unsafe or embarrassed due to their online experiences, with Instagram accounting for 77% of these incidents. While in 53% of the cases, the perpetrator was a stranger, 35% involved known individuals and 12% involved both. Only 34% of parents took formal action like approaching law enforcement despite these alarming statistics. The majority chose instead to block offenders or delete conversations without reporting the incidents.
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Omarzai powers Afghanistan to 5-wicket win over UAE
New Delhi (PTI): Azmatullah Omarzai produced an all-round show to power Afghanistan to five-wicket win over United Arab Emirates in their Group D T20 World Cup fixture here on Monday.
Omarzai first returned with figures of 4/15 to help restrict UAE to 160 for 9.
He then played a match-winning cameo of 40 not out after Ibrahim Zadran scored 53 to take Afghanistan to their first win in the ongoing edition.
For UAE, Sohaib Khan scored his second consecutive fifty, smashing 68 off 48 balls while Alishan Sharafu contributed 31-ball 40.
Brief Score.
UAE 160 for 9 in 20 overs (Sohaib Khan 68, Alishan Sharafu 40; Azmatullah Omarzai 4/15).
Afghanistan 162 for 5 in 19.2 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 53; Azmatullah Omarzai 40 not out; Muhammad Arfan 2/30, Junaid Siddique 2/23).
