15.02.2008, Source: Tanjug
Young people often visit websites for social networking where they live their personal data, without considering they could fall victims of “recruitment” on the Internet, said professor of cyber law at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Mirjana Drakulić.
She said that the most frequently visited site is “facebook” which represents new form of socializing between youngsters, where they can leave their data and photos, and chat with virtual representatives.
Young people who “surf” on the Internet can often be recruited for suspicious jobs, and in nongovernmental organization ASTRA that works on the repression of human trafficking stress out that job offers from hotels and transoceanic cruisers, babysitting and studying languages abroad is often “decoy”.
Jadranka Veljović from this organization said that it is very important to verify whether the firm which offers a job really exists, how do they operate and do they work on what they say they do. She added that they always advise young people to leave a copy of their passport if they decide to accept an unrealistic offer.
“ASTRA” conducted a survey in 2006 on the topic “Human Trafficking – a Look through the Internet Window”, which showed that two thirds of high school population uses Internet, and half of them “chats” every day with virtual friends.
Results of the survey showed that even 38 per cent of them decide to meet the person he/she communicated on the Internet, and the same number experience different unpleasantness while “online”.
Veljović reminded that during the survey one activist from this organization “chat” on the Internet, describing herself as 15 years old girl, and she made contact with 457 people, where from 86 percent were initiated by men.
Beside offers to meet, there were 125 contacts that can be listed a sexual harassment, she explained.
Representative Director of “Antitrafficking center” which works on repressing human trafficking, Jelena Djordjević, also said that job offers are the most usual form of recruitment according to information this organization has.
Although it is difficult to verify suspicious offers, young people should check what is behind before signing a contract, as it is usual that in proper contracts hides some from of exploitation, she said.
Djordjević finds prevention very important, and informing vulnerable groups which can fall victims, but this is not enough, as there are many reasons that provoke young people to accept suspicious offers, in order to change their lives n positive sense.
In “ASTRA” it is important to stress out significance of seminars they organize to inform young people, as well as border police, medicine doctors, judges.
Veljović said that our legislature has some knowledge regarding this form of abuse, but the practical use of law on cyber crime is not satisfactory.
According to the president of managing board of IT Forensics Association Gojko Grubor, huge problem in punishing “cyber crime” is lack of personnel in the High Tech Crime Unit.
Assistant at the Faculty of organizational sciences Ratimir Drakulić said to Tanjug that the problem is not only lack of the personnel, but also lack of the political will to find solution for this form of crime.