The COVID-19 virus has impacted all aspects of our lives.  With schools closed, and lockdowns imposed, many children and young people are spending all their time at home. Much of that time may be online, and often they will spend more time online than usual. With e-classrooms, children’s exposure to online sources have increased drastically and so have their screen time.

Being able to connect online provides valuable opportunities to learn, play and socialise with friends and peers and access information and support and is therefore extremely important for children and young people.  However, spending time online, what some call ‘screen time’, comes with risks such as Online sexual abuse, Cyberbullying, risk-taking online behaviour and potentially harmful content.  This might create a harmful environment for children risking their right to privacy and could also be exploitive.

Hence, keeping in mind the current need of the Children, Day 2 of Child Rights Week celebration, Caritas India organised an online Workshop called Being E- safe: Online Well Being for Child Leaders and  Caritas Partners all across India.

Day 2 began with a short introduction from Ms. Asha Ekka Caritas India, who moderated the event. Followed by seeking God’s blessing by Mr. Lokesh Caritas India.

Thereafter, Mr. Rajesh Upadhyay, Head of Department (HoD), was invited for his welcome note and Setting the Context of the workshop. He welcomed the Resource Person Mr. Rakshit Tandon, and the two-child leaders. In his opening remark, he expressed that in today’s times we cannot separate our lives from the internet, and he emphasized that we need to be E-safe or online safe. Thus, we are here to understand more about how we can be safe and how we can pass on the safety precautions and information to maximum people.

Our Resource Person, Mr. Rakshit Tandon: Consultant of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI, Advisor to cyber Complaint Redressal Cell, U.P. Police Agra and Consultant to United Nations of   Drugs and Crime (UNODC) took the session on Cyber Safety Tips and Capacitate Children on prevention of Cyber Crime.

Mr. Rakshit began his session by mentioning the increased usage and dependence of internet in all walks of life. Many fall preys as the predator’s lure for attractive job, attractive lifestyle and online sexual exploitation.  In it, he said” we cannot stay without internet” as classes are online, like this very session, and shopping all our requirements through online shopping.  Flipkart and Amazon are popularly known where we pay them digitally through PayTm, Google Pay. He also cited that 63% increase in cybercrime. The predators groom the prey by friendship at first and follow other strategies that later becomes suppressive with threats. All internet initiates with mobile and laptop and this accessibility he made the children understand that, it has its foundation from Gmail, where Gmail ID must be created. In order to get access and get connected to the various social media, we need this Gmail identity. And the identity must be protected and kept secure. If that password, somebody hacks, all the android phone data can be excessed. Your mobile is not stolen but all your data details, the hacker can access and get from anywhere. Thus, the risk of the password being hacked can cause lots of inconveniences.

How to be safe?

To be safe, the resource person underlined that; we need to know some of the operating methods. It is alarming that, every detail from your Android Phone can be accessed by hackers if we do not know how to handle and protect. Therefore, knowing the use and how to protect is vital. In order to keep our account of Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Gmail or any online account, one must set up for two steps verification. If this is done, even if hackers hack, they cannot steal your information or enter to your account and defame anyone. This he has explained with a demo on the screen on how to go to the security setting.

He further spoke about various forms of Cyberbullying.  Post this he shared about various portals for lodging complaint regarding online incidents, threats and other ways to keep ourselves safe.

Mr.Rakshit’s session was followed by several questions asked by the Child Leaders present.

Post this, two Child Leaders from West Bengal- Ms. Sakshi and Mr. Bishesh conducted a session on Online Safety for other Child Leaders. They shared online safety tips to be kept in mind to prevent cybercrime. They also shared on the basics of Cyber Bullying,  how we can stay safe from it and how and whom to report when we become victims of cybercrime or bullying.

Ms. Shimray, from Caritas India, proposed the way forward and extended heartfelt gratitude to the Resource Person Mr. Rakshit Tandon & Child Leaders on sharing the valuable information related to Cybercrime, which is seen at high during COVID times in the form of Cyberbullying, Cyber Stalking & in different modes.

“Some of the recommendations suggested by the facilitator to protect ourselves from Cybercrime has to be followed by everyone, like using passwords, avoid sharing Personal Information online, avoid Unknown friendship on social Platforms & also every child must share the learnings from this platform to their friends & colleagues so that they also can be saved from the attack of Cybercrime”, Ms. Shimray Shared.

At the end, Animesh Williams expressed the vote of thanks on behalf of Caritas India.