The Taichung Police Department shared tips to avoid sexual exploitation as elementary schools nationwide opened yesterday after the winter recess.
Last year, Taichung police dealt with 207 cases of sexual exploitation of children, up 21 percent from 170 the previous year, the department’s Women and Youth Protection Brigade said in a news release.
The surge in cases stemmed from crimes linked to making or possessing child porn, as officers investigated Chuangyi Sifang (創意私房), an online forum that shared sexually explicit videos involving minors, it said.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
Investigations showed that 43 percent of the children took and distributed images of themselves, as they did not understand the importance of privacy and 38 percent were tricked or coerced by people they met online, it said.
SAFETY TIPS
Efforts to protect young girls must be increased, as females are overwhelmingly more likely to be victimized in child porn cases, it said, adding that exploiters obtained images via false pretexts and blackmail.
A video published by the brigade showed officers visiting the Fengyuan Elementary School yesterday to teach students about personal boundaries, giving them safety tips, and informing them about the 110 and 113 police hotlines for reporting crimes and requesting immediate help respectively.
Police distributed online safety pamphlets about the dangers of meeting strangers through the Internet, the risks posed to privacy by sharing intimate images, social media follows and online games.
The brigade is conducting similar activities across schools as part of a multipronged approach to raise safety awareness and protect children in Taichung, it said.
MENTAL HEALTH
Separately, students and teachers are susceptible to post-vacation depression, Taoyuan General Hospital Department of Psychiatry director Su Po-wen (蘇柏文) said yesterday.
Children experiencing post-vacation depression might have headaches, abdominal pains and irritability, and refuse to get out of bed, Su said.
Teachers could experience heart palpitations, vertigo and insomnia, he said.
Parents should stop their children from playing video games or using phones before sleep and talk to adolescents about their fears and anxieties about school, he said.
Social issues troubling a child or teenager could include bad relationships with their peers or teachers, anxiety about grades or not feeling a sense of achievement from their education, he said.
Controlled breathing, support from their family or mental health professionals, finding friends and writing diaries can be helpful, he said.
Teachers can benefit from the same practices, in addition to more advanced meditation or mindfulness exercises, taking a relaxing hot bath, enjoying music and setting better work-life boundaries, he said.
Those with intense symptoms can consult with community health centers and hospitals to receive mental health support, he said.
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