‘Only your Parents are your well-wishers in this cruel world’: Judges counsel schoolkids on staying safe in cyber world

Trust your parents as they are your best friends & well-wishers, senior judges told children in Delhi High Court on Thursday at a workshop on making cyberspace safe for them.

There were 400 children present & nearly 1,200 schools logged in for the awareness workshop by the high court & Delhi Police. A set of cyber awareness interactive videos were also shown to make children mindful of threats of online sexual abuse & exploitation and how to avoid cyberbullying, harassment & sextortion.

Speaking at the launch of the Awareness Workshop on Online Child Sexual Exploitation & Abuse, chief guest justice PS Narasimha, a SC Judge, applauded that Courts were now taking a pro-active role, & not limiting themselves to interpreting the law.

Chief Justice SC Sharma of Delhi HC highlighted how the digital world for children today is “more & more scarier”. “The statistics are a haunting reminder for us to make not just the offline but also the online world a safe place for children. Only your parents are your well-wishers in this cruel world. Do not trust anyone till you have grown up. Even when you grow up, parents are your best friends. Please trust them & listen to them. It is a cruel world,” he said.

Justice Siddhartha Mridul pointed out how the increasing use of digital devices by children made them vulnerable to online risks & demands. He spoke about the need for “active participation of parents, investigating agencies & the entire civil society.”

Justice Mukta Gupta, who conceived the project & heads a panel to regulate & monitor the progress of guidelines under the Pocso Act, said tools needed to be developed to protect youngsters “from predators lurking on the internet”.

Police chief Sanjay Arora was present to inaugurate the workshop.

The interactive videos have been uploaded on the Delhi Education website of the Delhi Government, Justice Gupta said. Four videos prepared by the high court explain specific aspects such as cyber bullying, online predating, cyber sexting & cyber stalking.