The first press screening of the film Caught in the Net took place in Kyiv

The event was conducted as part of the informational campaign “Sexual Abuse on the Internet: How to Protect Children.” The Ukrainian-Danish Youth House convened journalists and civil society activists who focus on combating sexual violence both offline and online in their professional work and are interested in educating their audience about combating sexual abuse of children on the Internet.

The discussion of the film featured Mariana Hevko, project manager of the DOCU/CLUB Network, psychologist, and expert of the informational campaign “Sexual Abuse on the Internet: How to Protect Children”; Oleksiy Sydorenko, head of the department for combating abuse of children at the All-Ukrainian NGO Magnolia; and Nayana Mostova, who represented Ukraine at the youth panel of the Safer Internet Forum 2024. The discussion was moderated by Anastasiya Bahalika, head of the Human Rights Department at NGO Docudays UA.

Mariana Hevko explained to the audience why children become victims of such crimes, how adults can recognize when a child is experiencing problems, and how to help, support, and protect them. “Adults, both parents and caregivers, have a fundamental need to protect children. However, the topic of child sexual abuse is highly sensitive and truly frightening. This fear is often triggered in adults, and not every parent is ready to acknowledge that it could happen to their child. Yet, no child is immune to this risk. We work with adults by building their capacity: we help them develop the willingness to talk to a child, be a safe adult for the child, someone who will do everything to protect the kid rather than judge him or her,” noted Mariana Hevko.

Oleksiy Sydorenko shared the initial results of the StopCrime portal, discussing the complaints received and the first criminal proceedings initiated due to the concerned adults. “The hotline has started operating, which is a positive step, but we now realize that this alone is not sufficient,” said Oleksiy Sydorenko. “We see that European countries have established Safe Internet Centers that integrate three key areas: a hotline to combat sexual abuse materials, a hotline to assist victims, and educational activities. The NGOs Magnolia, Docudays UA, and La Strada-Ukraine are currently working towards establishing such a center in Ukraine. We are developing a website to increase awareness about the threats children face on the Internet. Our goal is to do everything possible to ensure that this shameful phenomenon can be successfully combated, if not completely eradicated.”

Nayana Mostova, Ukraine's representative at the Safer Internet Forum 2024 held in Brussels in late fall, presented the results of a survey among teenagers in Eastern Europe. According to the survey, over 82% of the adolescents surveyed have experienced sexual interactions online, and 75% have received sexual or inappropriate messages without their consent. The audience witnessed how these situations unfold in practice during the screening of the film Caught in the Net.

The film and its subsequent discussion sparked great interest among journalists and civil society activists. During the discussion, various proposals for cooperation and further promotion of the informational campaign were voiced.

By the end of winter 2024-2025, the DOCU/CLUB Network team plans to hold similar screenings for media representatives in three more cities of Ukraine: Lviv, Poltava, and Ternopil. Our goal is to disseminate information about the threats and risks children face on the Internet among as many people as possible, which makes active cooperation with the media our top priority.

We would like to remind that in early 2025, the informational campaign “Sexual Abuse on the Internet: How to Protect Children” will also be launched at Docudays UA film clubs across the country. Moderators interested in joining this campaign will be required to undergo training organized by the Network team.

The development of the DOCU/CLUB Network is funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Fondation de France. The opinions, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily reflect the views of respective governments or charitable organizations of these countries. The author(s) of this publication are solely responsible for its content.