Before, you were told that you had to take care of strangers who drove around in a big van and handed out sweets to children. Now a person with bad intentions can be with you all the way into the bedroom. It may be the last one that wishes you a good night in the evening, and the first one you write to when you wake up in the morning. An example is a man in his early 20s who has committed sexual offenses against 13 underage girls in Tromsø. Five of them were under 14 years old. He has also exploited a Ukrainian refugee in a particularly vulnerable situation, when she had just arrived in Norway. The contact always started via social media. The victims were young girls in their early teens, who barely knew what love was, other than to family and friends. The case that has been going on in Nord-Troms District Court in recent months is an example of a societal problem that everyone should be aware of, according to the police. The prosecutor describes him as manipulative and cynical, and that he played on the girls’ insecurity and inexperience. They were too young to see the red flags waving. Netflix and chill The sneakers drum impatiently on the floor in the courtroom. The man in the witness stand talks about how the young girls just “came to him”. – I’ve always been looking for love. I was in love, blind to love, he says. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of children and young people being contacted by abusers digitally, according to Kripos. More and more of them aim to meet the victims physically in order to commit sexual abuse. Typical of this type of perpetrator is that they have a large number of offenses and victims. This is also the case here. The accused man who is now sitting in Nord-Troms District Court has had a fairly similar approach with almost all the girls. Illustration: Egil Ursin He asked them to send pictures of themselves. First pictures with clothes, then he wanted lightly dressed pictures. Then came the questions of meeting physically. He asked them to put on gray sweatpants, before he picked them up in his car and took them home. The girls thought they were going to watch a movie and relax. But the man they met had an adult understanding of the term “Netflix and chill.” There he did things with the girls that they did not want. But in his eyes it is he who has been deceived. Illustration: Egil Ursin Decoy dolls and money drains In the witness box, the slightly broad-shouldered man explains how he got in touch with the girls on Snapchat, Tinder, Instagram or Badoo. And he says that the first thing he thinks about is that he should have sex with them. When asked about preference, he says he likes blonde girls best. “They should preferably be thin without female shapes, almost like girls with an eating disorder. Blond hair, thin and without shapes ». Common to the girls is that they feel abused, cheated, ruined. He believes it is not his fault, but that it is adults who have put the word abuse in their mouths. He claims to be a victim of children who like older boys and men. And even though he knows what the sexual minimum age is, he disagrees with it. He believes girls are sexually ready and active long before they are 16 years old. One of the assistance lawyers in the trial has a cross-examination of him: – They had problems before, you have said. – I have thought afterwards that maybe that is why they make contact with people who are older than themselves. – They said you’re going on? – That’s probably not true. – You said they just came to you? – I was in a vulnerable situation, I could not help but get to know them. He fiddles with a snuff box in his hands. Then the prosecutor asks a question. – Do you see yourself as a victim? You describe the girls as decoy pigeons. Should they also be punished? – We’re all victims here. They should not be imprisoned, but get on the record that they have an interest in older boys. They manipulate us, and then they get compensation and a lot of money, it should have consequences for them as well. The man has been found by a medical expert to be slightly mentally retarded. He pleads guilty to most of the charges against him. Neither he nor the defender will be interviewed. But they are familiar with the content of this case. Police describe these criminal acts as a global problem. What’s really going on on your mobile? In the last ten years, there has been a dramatic increase in reported child abuse. Globally, it has increased from 1 million reports in 2010 to almost 17 million in 2019, according to Kripos. The police and politicians are actively working to find out how to prevent new ones. – There is a clear trend, and something we are worried about will increase in the future, says Anders Magnus Jensen, subject leader for digital police work in Troms police district. People who have a sexual interest in children have moved from the swimming pool and football field to the new digital arenas children are in. The police have followed suit, but that is not all they can catch until it is too late. In addition, all police districts have an online patrol, which works towards the public. Here they try to talk directly to children and young people about being careful online. The message is simple, yet incredibly difficult: do not be fooled. Anders Magnus Jensen, subject leader for digital police work in the Troms police district. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news You should have the natural skepticism of who you are contacted by, says Lise Folkestad, subject leader for prevention and intelligence in Troms police district. – There are hefty and serious cases young people can be exposed to online. People need to understand that this is happening. If parents have not familiarized themselves with how different apps work, and do not know how to talk to their children about this, then they may steer away from the topic. – There is often a mismatch between children and parents’ knowledge. Then you may avoid talking about what is okay and what is not. Then children have to find out for themselves and try their hand, Jensen says. Even though in this case there is talk of physical abuse as well, one can be at least as affected and destroyed by cyberbullying, says Lise Folkestad. – Those who are exposed to abuse online are exposed to the same trauma and late injuries as those who are exposed to physical abuse. We face an enormous societal problem in the time ahead if we get so many vulnerable people. Everyone must take seriously the damage it inflicts on the vulnerable online as well, says Folkestad. The police have some specific red flags that everyone should be aware of. Lise Folkestad, subject leader for prevention and intelligence in the Troms police district. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news The red flags The typical abuser does not exist. They come in all ages and genders, and in all walks of life. How can you then navigate through adolescence, without meeting people you should not meet? There are some red flags you can look for, and which you should take seriously before it has gone too far, says Folkestad, and outlines: Is that who you think it is? When you talk to someone, or are contacted by someone who adds you on Snapchat or in a game. Do the research you can. Is that who you think it is? Follow the gut feeling Are you skeptical? It is rarely without reason. Follow your gut feeling! Sexualized language? Does the person you are writing with behave unhealthily? Does the person ask for nude pictures, or use sexual language? Be vigilant. Many young people are a little curious and think a little differently, and then it can be difficult to distinguish between what is okay and what is not. It can be exciting at first, but then it starts to go wrong. Illustration: Egil Ursin Hold back a little Many with bad intentions exploit the naivety of the population. Be a little careful about sharing your privacy. You probably would not do that in real life either. Alone time? Will the person you are talking to suddenly switch platforms and chat alone? Probably the person is not who he / she pretends to be. It is when the contact moves that the red flag comes. Be a little skeptical. Will be notified automatically about abuse material – The Internet is an inexhaustible marketplace for abuse, so prevention and awareness is absolutely crucial for security online, says Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp). The government, together with several other countries, has declared child abuse a global problem. Several ministries are now working together to prevent online abuse. – We want to put in place new legal instruments and technology that allow them to filter out data traffic at Norwegian service providers that contain abusive material, so that it is automatically reported to the police, she says. Photo: William Jobling / news She recently had a meeting with the major communications giants Telenor and Telia, and Vipps. – We see examples of children being paid to share nude photos. Therefore, I raised the need for better parental control for children under a certain age, or a pre-approval of who can tip money, says the Minister of Justice. The government will also strengthen the police’s ability to detect and investigate cybercrime. They are considering putting in place a duty to report anyone who finds abusive material, whether it is a telecommunications company, a server or social media. – When we continue to work with these challenges, we must bring with us the private sector, which is involved in technology and does a lot of important work. We must also work internationally to make the big companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitch responsible, says Enger Mehl. – I hope I get a punishment In Nord-Troms District Court, videos are played of children that tell what happened when the young girls met the accused. They have been in for questioning at the Children’s Home in Tromsø. Here is a description of how he took the initiative for sexual acts. That the defendant was cynical and cunning. A girl describes that the accused treated her in a painful and brutal way. The man the girls met was much older than them, and should have been the adult and responsible person who said no. Instead, according to the police, he played on the girls’ conscience, and used all means to achieve sexual intercourse. – This was not a mutual sexual exploration. This was gross exploitation, the prosecutor said in court. On the last day of the court, the accused comes with a final comment: – I hope I get a punishment, and a second chance. This will never happen again, I have learned a lesson. I did not know that my actions could be so significant, I have to live with that for the rest of my life. Some time later, the district court sentenced him to 8 years and 6 months in prison. They believe it has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he has done everything he was accused of. The verdict is not final.
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This is the police’s “red flag” against cyber-attackers – news Troms and Finnmark
