Child sexual abuse material online 'has doubled since 2019'
- According to international campaign group WeProtect Global Alliance, there has been an 87% increase in reported cases of child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
- This figure has risen to more than 32 million globally.
- The campaign group calls for a co-ordinated international response to protect children online and warns that the number of self-generated sexual images of seven to 10-year-olds has quadrupled between 2020-2022.
- The report highlighted the risks of social gaming environments where adults and children are able to interact.
- It found that conversations with children on social gaming platforms could escalate to grooming situations within 19 seconds in the most extreme cases.
- NSPCC chief executive Sir Peter Wanless commented on the report, stating the impending arrival into law of the Online Safety Bill will be crucial in helping stop online abuse.
- For more, please visit the Yahoo News website.
The following stories may be regionalised:
Autistic girl's pleas to skip school over lack of support
- A 15-year-old girl from Merthyr Tydfil would beg not to attend school before she got access to tailored support.
- In April, she tried taking her own life due to feeling overwhelmed by things and feeling like she could not physically cope.
- The girl now has received her individual development plan (IDP) and has a consistent one-to-one learning support assistant.
- This follows parents of children with learning difficulties calling for equal access to education, over concerns their children are missing out.
- The Welsh government said it was investing £20m to improve inclusivity in places like schools and colleges.
- The Welsh government has said "equity and inclusion are central to our education reforms" and will continue to review progress.
- For more, please visit the BBC News website.
Police probe after schoolgirl from the UK assaulted on a school trip to Iceland
- Police in Iceland are investigating after a 13-year-old schoolgirl from London was allegedly assaulted by a tour guide while on a school trip to see the Northern Lights.
- The clip was posted on social media, showing the incident of the girl being slapped in the face on Friday night.
- The video amassed thousands of views online and sparked concern for the girl's well-being while she was on the trip.
- The girl's mother, Priscilla, believes there was a racial element to this as the woman was originally shouting at her daughter's white friend.
- The girl's school, Harris Girls' Academy contacted Islandic Police who attended the scene, and interviewed the woman but no arrest has been made.
- The hotel involved, Hotel Örk said it condemned "all forms of violence" and has clarified that the tour guide involved was not a hotel employee, she was a guest.
- For more, please visit the Independent's website.
Dorset residents targeted by WhatsApp scammers
- A recent report by Action Fraud shows that several people in Dorset have been targeted by scammers attempting to take control of their WhatsApp accounts.
- As part of Cyber Security Awareness Month this October, Dorset Police are encouraging the public to turn on two-step verification for their email and social media accounts.
- Two-step verification (or two-factor authentication [2FA]) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) are a way of 'double checking' that you are really the person you claim to be when using online services.
- Chris Conroy from the Dorset Police Cyber Crime Unit reported that they have free cyber awareness sessions which are available to anyone in Dorset.
- The session offers impartial advice and guidance about common cyber threats like phishing, malware and email scams as well as giving advice on how to keep yourself safe online.
- You can visit the Dorset Police website: www.dorset.police.uk/cyber or the National Cyber Security Centre's Cyber Aware website: www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware/home
- For more, please visit the Yahoo News website.
