Judge Addresses The Issue Of Cyber-Related Crimes Against Children
Supreme Court Judge, Vui Clarence Nelson .
Photo: Eyespy Radio / Anetone Sagaga
Supreme Court Judge, Vui Clarence Nelson urged the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (M.C.I.T) on ways to improve cyber security and mitigate cyber-crimes within Samoa during his address as guest speaker at the official opening of the Cyber Smart Samoa Week last Tuesday.
Vui, who is the first Pacific Islands judge appointed to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, was invited by M.C.I.T to speak on his experiences regarding cybercrimes and other cyber-related issues against children, that he has witnessed as a Judge at the Supreme Court of Samoa.
The Judge advised the Ministry to join national conventions such as the Budapest Convention or the convention on cybercrime which is the world’s first international treaty designed to focus on increasing cybercrime. He stated that Tonga is the only Pacific nation who's joined the Budapest Convention, and further added that Samoa should follow Tonga's example and also join to ensure that our nation is better equipped to tackle illegal cyber activities.
Vui also stressed the importance of educating the younger generation of Samoa on how to be cyber smart and cyber safe. "One problem that is rising at an alarming pace is the issue of child pornography. He encouraged M.C.I.T to join the Council of Europe Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, also known as “the Lanzarote Convention”, which criminalizes all kinds of sexual offences against children, and take measures to prevent sexual violence, to protect child victims and to prosecute perpetrators.
"We are living in an era of technology; our children have grown accustomed to going online and using the internet, which is a good thing when they're using it as a research tool for their school assignments and studies. However, there is also a negative side to this such as accessing porn sites and other erotic content,"
"There was a case I handled a while ago, where an 18-year-old male was charged with raping a girl from his village. During the court proceedings, the defendant admitted before court that he was watching pornography when he saw the victim. Having become sexually aroused from watching porn, the defendant followed the young girl and raped her," he said.
Vui further encouraged the Ministry to establish a division to manage and compile data regarding cyber offenses and cybercrimes, and hopes that during this Cybersmart Samoa Week, M.C.I.T will develop ways to combat the issue of cybercrimes.