Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – Nearly 24% of elementary and middle school students in Rome have seen pornographic material on the computer in their home. This is one of the facts released by an awareness campaign on information about protection for minors on the web being conducted by the “”Centro Elis” Association and presented in Rome for the National Day Against Pedophilia.
The study, financed by the “Fondazione Europa Occupazione e Volontariato: Impresa e Solidarietà (FEO-FIVOL)” (European Work and Volunteer Foundation) and aimed at preventing the spread of pedophilia and pornography, has included the participation of 50 Roman schools and nearly 1,000 parents and teachers. There have been many discussions/debates and film showings in all the schools.
Since 2001, “Centro Elis” has dedicated the website www.ilfiltro.it to trying to help parents and teachers become familiar with the Internet world, and encourage awareness on the issue of protecting minors, students or sons and daughters.
Computer classes in Italian schools are still a secondary subject, however the younger generations in general quickly learn the ins and outs of the digital world. Prof. Michele Crudele, Director of “Centro Elis” and website manager, defined them as “digital natives.” As soon as they enter Internet on their own and begin learning the inter-workings of the net, they run the risk of becoming “digital savages,” severely subject to the many risks that are out there: the possibility of being lured into pornographic sites is extremely frequent.
Moreover, there are sites that promote bulimia and anorexia and others that explain how to purchase narcotics online. The “Postal Police” has intensified its activity in recent years and has successfully shut down 177 pedophile sites in Italy, as of 1998 and has created a “black list” of dangerous websites. In all the schools implied in the project, according to the records, the students are never at a computer on their own however, it is not always easy even for the adults to realize what occurs, as oftentimes they lie hidden in images or objects that are extremely familiar to youth, such as cartoons or comics.
Only 4% of the schools said they have a navigation protection system for minors. The rest trust in the attentive gaze of adults, where the computer is placed in such a manner that the teachers can observe the content. However, Internet has suddenly entered into everyone's professional and personal lives and one should only access it after learning of its risks and opportunities. It is also extremely important to become familiar with Internet due to the risks of viruses and “Trojan horses” that are not easily recognized and that try to appropriate minors' identity, learning about what they do, etc. and this can occur on an international level. Those who participated in the campaign were given a comic book published by Disney and Microsoft, which is an authentic guide for navigation security on the Internet. (PC) (Agenzia Fides 5/5/2009)
