[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/cancelling-the-culture-of-online-grooming-and-sexual-assault\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/cancelling-the-culture-of-online-grooming-and-sexual-assault\/","headline":"Cancelling the culture of online grooming and sexual assault","name":"Cancelling the culture of online grooming and sexual assault","description":"Earlier this month, Singapore\u2019s Ministry of Communications and Information announced that it would form a new Alliance for Action to address the issues of online sexual grooming and abuse of girls and women. But while this might be a positive step towards protecting children and youth against the dangers lurking online, some stakeholders have suggested […]","datePublished":"2021-03-19","dateModified":"2022-04-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Maisie%20Leong\/#Person","name":"Maisie Leong","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Maisie%20Leong\/","identifier":227,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f5c852853ba8ed19bedc5417be7db8166064cfcb8857f5ec40bb516fab94b2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f5c852853ba8ed19bedc5417be7db8166064cfcb8857f5ec40bb516fab94b2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1616138543243_jay-wennington-loAgTdeDcIU-unsplash_1280x626.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1616138543243_jay-wennington-loAgTdeDcIU-unsplash_1280x626.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/cancelling-the-culture-of-online-grooming-and-sexual-assault\/","about":["Community","Local","Sex & Gender","Singapore"],"wordCount":2090,"articleBody":"Earlier this month, Singapore\u2019s Ministry of Communications and Information announced that it would form a new Alliance for Action to address the issues of online sexual grooming and abuse of girls and women. But while this might be a positive step towards protecting children and youth against the dangers lurking online, some stakeholders have suggested preventative measures like a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum and establishing an eSafety Commissioner.As a teenager, Rachel\u2019s (not her real name) foray into the online world included playing games and conducting video calls on applications such as Viber and Tango. Initially, she created accounts on these platforms to video call her friends but started receiving messages from mostly male strangers on the internet.\u00a0This escalated to requests to call them: \u201cThey were like, \u2018Oh, just talk to me. Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s just a number, there\u2019s nothing to be scared of. I won\u2019t tell anybody\u2019,\u201d she reveals.\u00a0\u201cI thought that it was normal. I thought [that] these people [were] genuinely just being nice to me,\u201d says the 21-year-old. \u201cI didn\u2019t [feel] like there was something off.\u201d\u00a0But alarm bells did go off when things started getting uncomfortable for Rachel. Some of these faceless netizens offered to buy her clothes and asked her to send them photos of herself wearing the outfits. She declined. These online encounters eventually led to one of her perpetrators stalking her in real life, after she blocked him from contacting her.\u00a0For Abigail (not her real name), her experiences in the virtual world were traumatising from the start.\u00a0\u201cI experienced it in my first relationship. He convinced me to perform [sexual] acts to strangers online via a platform, Omegle,\u201d she shares. \u201cBack then, they always ask you [for your] age, sex, location. That’s how people got to know each other.\u00a0\u201cIn the beginning, I wanted to do it because it was my way of showing him that I trust him. But subsequently, when one of the videos leaked out onto a pornography site, I only found out years later [when] one of his friends stumbled upon the video,\u201d she says.\u00a0According to Abigail, it was not clear whether her ex leaked the video, or someone had hacked into Omegle, ripped the file and posted it on the porno site.\u00a0She adds, \u201cThere were other occasions [when] men have sent me photos [‘dick pics’ and topless ones] without me asking for them… And sometimes when I tried to brush them off or to be cordial about it, they’ll most likely just get mad and say abusive things.\u201d\u00a0Rachel and Abigail\u2019s encounters are not uncommon, especially during the pandemic with more time spent at home. As screen time and social media use continue to rise among children and youth, they are also being exposed to inappropriate sexual content and online grooming, making them more susceptible to sexual abuse.\u00a0Children and young people are spending an increasing amount of time online, exposing them to online sexual grooming. (Source: Media Literacy Council)In 2020, KK Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Hospital in Singapore surveyed 100 parents of children aged five to 14 years old for insights into their child\u2019s lifestyle habits. It found that 20 per cent of kids spent over four hours on screen viewing daily, which exceeded the recommended two hours per day. And that 70 per cent of respondents were concerned about the amount of time their child was glued to their screens.A 2018 study published by digital education think tank DQ Institute polled 3,600 children aged eight to 12 years and found that those in Singapore spent an average of 35 hours a week online, three hours more than their peers in 29 other countries. If they owned a mobile phone, this figure increased to 45 hours per week. More than half said they experienced \u201cunsavoury behaviour online\u201d.\u00a0Online sexual grooming has typically been described by experts as a slow, methodical and intentional process of manipulating a person to a point where they can be victimised, exploited and abused for sexual purposes. It can take place on social media, messaging and gaming platforms. Anyone can be a victim.\u00a0On International Women\u2019s Day (8 March), Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Sim Ann announced that a new Singapore Together Alliance for Action (AfA) group would be formed to combat issues of online grooming and sexual abuse affecting\u00a0 girls and women.\u00a0Shailey Hingorani, Head of Research and Communications at the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), notes that there has been a growing trend of technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) at AWARE\u2019s Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC). According to data released in December 2020, it saw the highest number of TFSV in 2019, with the number of cases tripling across four years.\u00a0\u201cWe are pleased to see the [Singapore] government’s commitment to tackling technology-facilitated sexual violence. We hope that we can offer assistance and insights to the group, based on SACC’s experiences working with survivors,\u201d she says.\u00a0Online sexual grooming is a rising trend in recent years, with the advancement of technology and social media. (Photo by Sergey Zolkin \/ Unsplash)Supporting existing initiativesAnita Low-Lim from social service agency TOUCH Community Services agrees that a nationwide initiative is a \u201cpositive step forward\u201d and \u201csomething the community needs\u201d. It would include \u201ca wider range of perspectives, for a more comprehensive approach\u201d to tackling sexual abuse and online grooming.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIt is good that the AfA is formed, and will look at all of these things and hopefully provide some type of structure to how we can handle this particular topic [of online grooming and sexual abuse],\u201d says Mrs Low-Lim, the Senior Director at TOUCH Integrated Family Group, who is also a member of the Media Literacy Council.\u201cIt will bring a different perspective, given the number of people who will be involved, and the resources that will complement the efforts of the [representatives] in the Alliance. We look forward to the impact that [it] can make to the lives of families.\u201d TOUCH Community Services runs initiatives that promote cyber wellness within communities, while offering counselling to students and families pre-and post-intervention.\u201c(G)round agencies like us (TOUCH) definitely can support the national agenda in the work that we do, as we reach out to families [and] to schools,\u201d she says. It is useful [to] have a multi-pronged approach to have different stakeholders involved, because we all contribute in different ways. I think [that\u2019s] the value of the alliance \u2013 that [it] brings together different people [who] see things from different [perspectives], and [makes] sure that we cover as much ground as possible.\u201d\u00a0Students in Singapore have also taken matters into their own hands.\u00a0In 2019, undergraduates at the National University of Singapore formed Students for a Safer NUS, a community of students that seeks to improve the way sexual violence is handled on campus. It also encourages stronger support for victims of sexual assault.One of the group\u2019s members, Luke, says that internet-based sexual violence has been happening for a long time, but is only being recognised now.\u00a0\u201cThe fact that such a group [Alliance for Action] is being formed to address multiple issues like grooming, which not a lot of people consider when it comes to sexual violence… is a welcome move,\u201d he says.\u00a0Educating today\u2019s youth on cyber wellness practices is promoting a safer environment online for girls and women alike. (Photo by Van Tay Media \/ Unsplash)Legal support for sexual harassment cases will also be fortified by the Protection From Harassment Court, staffed by judges trained to deal with (on and offline) harassment matters, says AWARE\u2019s Ms Hingorani. The new court starts operating this year and will enhance the Protection from Harassment Act which came into effect in 2014.\u00a0\u201cThis should increase access to justice for victims and reduce waiting time and costs in matters relating to online harassment,\u201d she explains.\u00a0More can be done beyond protection ordersMs Hingorani hopes that authorities \u201cconsider stronger and quicker remedies beyond protection orders\u201d, citing the time-sensitive nature of certain cyber-sexual crimes.\u00a0She recommends the establishment of a local eSafety Commissioner, similar to an Australian governmental initiative that seeks to empower Australians to have safer and more positive experiences online.\u00a0\u201cThe Australian eSafety Commissioner holds an independent statutory office and, among other things, helps facilitate the removal of intimate materials from online platforms, via enforceable removal notices to social media services, websites, hosting providers and perpetrators.\u201d\u00a0She also believes that comprehensive sexuality education is key to tackling online sexual violence, and the \u201cbest, most upstream way to prevent young people from turning to sexual violence of any kind. And this starts with recognising that TFSV, like \u201call forms of gender-based violence, is about power, control and a disregard of women’s consent and agency.\u201d\u201cSurveys have shown that young people in Singapore suffer from a dearth of comprehensive information about sex and relationships, possibly due to a lack of comprehensive sexuality education in schools,\u201d she asserts.\u00a0\u201cA strong sex education curriculum would cover not only physical health, but emotional well-being, empathy and respect for others, healthy relationships, gender dynamics and, particularly, consent \u2013 what it looks like, what it doesn\u2019t look like, and how to negotiate it in a real-life scenario.\u201d\u00a0Developing a strong sexuality education curriculum is instrumental to raising awareness of healthy boundaries and consent in relationships. (Photo by Warren Wong \/ Unsplash)When it comes to the process of online sexual grooming, Mrs Low-Lim thinks that adopting an upstream approach is also essential to raising awareness among children and parents.\u00a0Mrs Low-Lim explains that TOUCH Community Services teaches a three-stage grooming process, where the perpetrator first identifies the victim and then lures him or her by building trust and an emotional relationship. The final hook involves introducing sexual content or making a personal request, such as meeting the victim.\u00a0\u201cWe outline these three [stages] for the student and parents so that they can understand or look out for these things when they’re interacting online,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u201cIt helps to initiate conversations at home, if the child brings the topic up.”Educating potential perpetrators on appropriate boundaries is another area of concern.\u00a0Nisha, another member of Students for a Safer NUS, adds that it is important to reinforce the concepts of consent and boundaries with potential perpetrators.\u00a0\u201cWe are telling our women to be safe, [and] what they should do, but we are not telling perpetrators what they should not be doing,\u201d she says. \u201cWe can definitely start at a younger generation, who are slowly getting exposed to everything online.\u201d\u00a0Fostering a safer environmentSocial initiatives and survivors of sexual abuse and harassment are not the only factors for creating a safer online environment. Bystanders too have a role to play, adds Ms Hingorani, especially in preventing more instances of online harm. For instance, she suggests that they can refrain from consuming non-consensually produced photos. Or call friends out for sharing such pictures and videos.\u00a0\u201cWe all have power to refuse to contribute to the practice of shaming and disrespecting women. If someone witnesses voyeurism taking place [in public], they can offer support by approaching the victim, and asking them if they are OK,\u201d says Ms Hingorani.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThey can then offer to accompany the victim to inform SMRT [train] staff should they wish to, or inform them of the options available for sexual assault survivors, such as SACC [AWARE\u2019s Sexual Assault Care Centre], in order to empower them to make their own decisions.\u201dEmpathy is important when supporting victims. Says Abigail, \u201cThe intent [of the incoming Alliance For Action] has been stated, but action needs to be seen, and empathy has to be very prevalent in their actions if they want people to feel safe.\u201dMs Low-Lim adds that being empathetic by offering a listening ear and helping hand can foster better parent-child relationships. Therefore, young online users must be assured that they will not get into trouble if something happens.\u00a0\u201cWe advocate [that] parents have a very trusting relationship [with their children from young] \u2013 [which] means the child cannot be fearful. And one thing we remind parents is [not to] judge,\u201d she reiterates. \u201c[When] all these [judgements] come out, the child will not [confide] more. So empathy is a very important concept in helping a child, who already is suffering from abuse [or] harassment. Positive cyber-wellness is value-based. There must be a conducive environment for the user to navigate safely.\u201dJoin the conversations on THG’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Cancelling the culture of online grooming and sexual assault","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/cancelling-the-culture-of-online-grooming-and-sexual-assault\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]