Youngsters on the line

An alarming rise in cyber sexual violence against minors has sparked disquiet among communities worldwide. Experts have called for tougher laws against offenders, as well as broader sex education, to help high-risk groups and prevent the problem from getting out of hand. Oasis Hu reports from Hong Kong.

Editor's note: We are witnessing a distressing upsurge in cyber sexual violence, such as stalking, harassing, grooming, nonconsensual sharing of intimate images and even sextortion, with severe consequences for the victims. In the first of a series of reports, we delve into the problem of online abuse of minors in Hong Kong, with experts worried that this may be just the tip of the iceberg.

Cyber sexual violence against teenagers and juveniles is rearing its head across the globe, and Hong Kong is no exception.

In one case, a teenage girl was totally oblivious to the fact that her intimate photos and videos had long been disseminated on the internet until the police went to her home to probe an online child pornography case.

It emerged that while in primary school, the girl had fostered a friendship online with a boy student. They had frequent cyber chats, leading to her being convinced to enter into a "romantic relationship" with him.

The unwary victim was also asked to send nude photos of herself. Blinded by the illusion of a "love affair", the girl agreed, thinking that their interactions were solely confined to the digital realm. The boy went further by coaxing her into recording videos of herself engaging in explicit acts. She also did what she was told.

However, the pair eventually lost touch with each other as they were attending different middle schools. The girl kept those encounters to herself, confiding in no one. Her plight came to light when police officers appeared at her doorstep. Her mother was told that an investigation into an online child pornography case had unearthed evidence linking her daughter to explicit videos.

The moment of truth arrived as the girl's family learned what had happened. The mother tried to downplay the story, pleading with the police to handle it discreetly and telling her daughter not to mention it again. But, the victim had been swarmed with apprehension, leaving her in deep trauma and forcing her to seek help.