A total of 604 people contacted the Helpline -Helpline 1480 during the period from October 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 and it appeared that the number of cases of sexual harassment (sextortion) doubled, compared to the same period last year, according to statistics data announced by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, as coordinator of the Cyprus Safe Internet Center - CYberSafety (https://www.cybersafety.cy) and the Helpline 1480.
The 262 calls (43,40%), of the total calls, were not related to the services provided by the Helpline 1480 and were related to information, among others, about the pandemic, the allowances and the aids of the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Affairs. Insurance (YEPKA) etc., as specified in the announcement.
Regarding the 342 cases, which concerned the services of the Helpline 1480, 56,43% (193 people) were girls / women and 43,57% (149 people) were boys / men. Regarding the profile of the callers, the majority of the people who called for help and support were adults at a rate of 97,10% (337 people). Only 5 people, out of a total of 342 callers, ie 2,90%, were minors (up to 18 years old), who used the 1480 Helpline to report their personal difficulties on the Internet.
Regarding the reasons for contacting the Line, most of the requests were related to cybercrime incidents (30,12%), ie tackling privacy (hacking), financial fraud, etc. In addition, a large number of calls to the Helpline - 1480, related to issues falling into the category of digital literacy / education (17,25%), which was increased compared to the same period last year, but also stable high compared to all quarterly reports of 2021.
This seems to demonstrate the need to inform the public about digital literacy skills and the importance of supporting the safe and responsible use of digital technology and the internet.
At the same time, a significant number of calls related to incidents of cyberbullying (14,62%), indicating that bullying is a long-standing problem, for which further and more intensive efforts should be made to inform and raise awareness.
It is worrying to find that, both in this period and in the previous quarterly reports of 2021, the number of incidents of sexual harassment (sending or reporting unwanted content and comments, impersonation of people with the intention of damaging their reputation, through harassment, etc.) is steadily increased.
Finally, there was a significant increase in the number of reports of sexual harassment (sextortion) (9,07%), which doubled, in absolute numbers, compared to the corresponding report last year, but also compared to the previous quarterly reports of 2021. The Helpline 1480, aiming at the continuous and quality provision of advice and support, in matters related to the safe, responsible and ethical use of the internet, to children, adolescents and their families, continues to provide its services , with the basic principle of ensuring that its services comply with National Law and are intertwined with the aspect of awareness and prompt service.
All citizens can call the Helpline 1480, calling, free of charge, the number 1480 (opening hours: Monday - Friday, 9.00 - 13.00 & 15:00 - 18:00, and Saturday 10:00 - 13:00) or by sending an e-mail to 1480helpline@cyearn.pi.ac.cy as well as via electronic form (https://www.cybersafety.cy/helpline-report) or via electronic chat (https: // www. cybersafety.cy/helpline-chat).
Source: KYPE