A cyberbullying victim’s parents are speaking out in Belize against the alarming practice of posting nude photos of young girls online.
The couple sits facing away from the camera as they recount the episode that forever changed their daughter’s life. The father, slowly and in a plaintive voice, says someone accessed the photo from her social media account and reposted it to a public site. With just a few clicks, the damage had already been done.
“It was a huge blow to our family when it happened. Me and her mother, we tried to be strong for her, and supported her in every way possible, and to try to get over it. It was a terrible thing for her,” he says.
“Be bold for change against cyber violence!” shouts the mother, firing a parting shot in the final frames.
The parents’ testimony is part of an online anti-cyberbullying campaign spearheaded by the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan. The campaign gives voice to a nationwide concern at the trend of posting nude photos and videos of girls and women.
Also speaking out is Kim Simplis-Barrow, wife of Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who is calling for urgent action to protect women and girls from the use of the Internet as “a vehicle for gender-based violence.”
“Globally, cyber criminals are using the Internet for abuse and exploitation, putting our most vulnerable populations at risk. Here in Belize, we have had our own struggle with these issues,” she said.
Pedophiles, rapists and human traffickers must not be allowed to continue using popular Internet-based social media platforms as “a digital hunting grounds”, she said.
The First Lady, who is also the country’s Special Envoy for Women and Children, has worked to bring child sexual exploitation into the domain of public discourse and action.
“Belize is ill-prepared legally and otherwise to effectively address these challenges,” she said.
Speaking at the country’s first-ever national cybersecurity symposium, held in Belize City in April, her brief remarks made a simple yet powerful point: there can be no citizen security without cybersecurity.
The message found support from a powerful ally.
“Cyber crime knows no borders, we’re all in this together,” said Adrienne Galanek, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy.
“The cyber world we live in poses very real threats, from exploitation of children to the cruelty of cyberbullying. Predators capitalise on the anonymity of cyber space to target victims, whether to lure them to sexual exploitation or criminal activity. Compromising images of young girls and women are exploited online, while the male perpetrators’ identities are often concealed in shocking videos,” she added.
Only in the last few years the growing cost and incidence of cybersecurity has propelled the subject to the top of the agenda of government and business leaders.
“In the United States, we are currently in the process of reviewing our cybersecurity national strategy, and we encourage Belize and other nations to similarly review as needed their cybersecurity national strategy,” Galanek said.
Many observers across the Caribbean will hope that Belize is only the first in a regional movement to break the silence and take active measures to protect the region’s children and all citizens from cyber predators.
I am from Dominica and I have a GrandBay guy in the.military harrassng me now. I had a guy in military uniform follow me and took photo a.gym. I have had calls harrassing me calling my house.looking up myaddress etc. My phone has been accessed my facebook acct accessed. Information I photographed on my phone is accessed and deleted. I have.not.visited.any.military base in my life for me to have.military people stalking and harassing me. With messages that all their folks are in the US etc. I have people in the phillnes harrass me on whatsapp. My facebook is continually being accessed. My cellphone number was posted online. White powder sent in my home mailbox from NorthCarolina.
My phone has been blocked my internet all that.
There is an ever increasing need for this kind of information to be made available to the public in general and government officials in particular. People who have your kind of expertise will become more and more helpful. I wish you every success in Belize.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
you need to educate kids and the population in general how to use available technology to protect privacy and confidentiality and avoid being exposed to online criminals. The people of the Caribbean in general have extremely low technological literacy and they are absolutely exposed to all kinda of online threats. However educational projects need to be designed by security specialists …not by First Ladies or governmental officials who have no clues about privacy, modern free IT tools or cyber security in general
This is an attempt to push internet censorship by drumming up fear and hysteria about cyber threats and cyber bullying. It’s simple – teach your children values, monitor their internet use until they are old enough and responsible to make their own decisions. Those pictures or videos would never make it out on the internet if they didn’t allow themselves to be filmed. I know many of these cases personally and trust me the kind of girls that allow themselves to have pictures or video taken of them or even to end up in the situations where that happen are not the type of people we should be wanting to ruin the freedom of the internet for. If you have naked pictures posted on SOCIAL MEDIA account something is clearly wrong with you.
On the cyber bullying children of today need to grow a freaking spine. If you’re going to let yourself be intimidated by people on the internet then you’re weak. Also learn not to put too much of your information online.
Wait! She posted on her social media site? Why is it a problem to her now? I thought it was accessed from her private phone or something but anything on a SOCIAL MEDIA page is fair game. Be wise young people the only way you can stop it is not to start it. Stop having nude photos of yourself where they can be accessed. The only sure way is to stop taking nude photos because even phones can be hacked, as long as you take the pic the possibility of it getting out is real.
In Belize, most girls between 12 and 15 years old have had babies. This is an epidemic in the Caribbean. Children think they are big. It’s a cycle which started with men having babies with different women and children having to raise and support themselves, while the fathers sit by the roadside playing dominoes and begging for rum and cigarette. Government should step in and put in place laws that would safeguard these young girls. The result of this cycle is extreme poverty and STD. some men have no job but have three girls pregnant all at the same time. I say SHAME ON THE GOVERNMENT, and shame on all these irresponsible and lowlife men out there. If you are one; I say shame on you! Damit. If you are not able and willing to support children you brought in this world; then you should cum in your pants and leave these girls alone.
The Apostle Paul wrote *Give no place to the devil,…*
It is the desire of Satan to destroy the nation (every nation) and he especially targets the most vulnerable.
He knows our youth have the most years to offer him and in turn will influence more people on their journey than senior citizens who are approaching the end of their lives.
It is the spiritual blindness of mankind not to comprehend how the world has created its own problems. The devil cannot enter a door that is closed and bolted. On the other hand a door that is wide open with a welcome sign over it is an invitation to enter.
A nation that decriminalizes homosexuality and legalizes same sex marriages is advertising the fact that they do not stand for God*s moral code and traditional family values mean nothing to them. They should not be surprised when the forces of darkness move in and bring destruction to individuals, families, and communities.
Continuation:
Governments that allow nude pictures of females to be posted anywhere are opening the door for lewd behavior and illegal activity. It should not be a surprise if such pictures are stolen, posted in places that are embarrassing, or seen by people even years that you would not want to see them.
Pornography in any form potentially generates lust and sometimes results in compulsive sexual behavior,
sexual child abuse, rape, and even murder. Governments are allowing the production, presentation and sale of this poison. They could stop it or at least greatly reduce it by legislation. But we see little or no effort being made to end this trade in moral filth.
In the first century A.D. St. Paul wrote *Give no place to the devil, …* What would he say in our day
He would tell us to keep the door closed and bolted. Do not allow the enemy of souls to get one foot inside . Do not give him ANY place, not even a place to start.
Continuation:
That which will result in loss and shame begins small. It may seem innocent and harmless in the beginning. It looks like good fun. You think it is a joke. But when it results in loss, brokenness and disgrace you are left thinking *I had no idea it would end this way.*
Refuse the little wrong doings that have the potential of becoming more than they originally appeared to be. Those are things that look OK at the beginning but can end up hurting you and a wide circle of people by doing serious damage.
It is time for our governments to see that the *door* is tightly closed against the intruder even if it means passing laws that will protect those they were chosen to serve from future harm not seen yet by all.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
Continuation:
In our day we have more to cope with than our grandparents had. The internet is a valuable tool
and the computer is a useful instrument for the furtherance of legitimate enterprises. But it can be an incredible evil. This calls for diligence, discernment, and resolve to use and not abuse the technology.
We depend too much on the government to make decisions for us. Our governments need to take a closer look at the cyber abuse and rule accordingly. Instead they wait until a serious crime has been committed and a life severely damaged and then they make a speech.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill
Sincerely, Don Hill.
In other ways governments open their doors for evil to come in. Then they bemoan the damage that is caused.
This is a real and potent threat to our youth – but it affects everyone (an entire family and social circle).
At the end of next month (June) I will be in Belize addressing this very issue of cyber security and cyber bullying with the Belizean Ministry for ICT & the Ministry for Education. this is a matter that all education institutions, youth groups, law enforcement among others, must take seriously.
check this out on the UN/ITU website on Child Online Protection (COP): http://www.itu.int/en/cop/Pages/guidelines.aspx
I wish you every success in Belize but Belize has already opened the door to the Prince of Darkness like my own nation and many others. Now they are trying to cover their collective &$$.
They like the others need to hear what God is saying.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.