SEX PREDATORS ABUSING THE INTERNET TO VICTIMISE THE YOUNG

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SEX PREDATORS ABUSING THE INTERNET TO VICTIMISE THE YOUNG: 10.

Mdm Cynthia Phua asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts how can the Government protect young children from falling prey to offers for sex as was reported in the Straits Times article "Teen sex for sale" on 25th April 2005, of girls below 16 years of age offering their services.

11.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts if Internet laws can be strengthened to impose stiffer penalties on those who openly solicit for sex on the Internet from under-aged youths.

12.

Mdm Cynthia Phua asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts how can the Infocomm Development Authority police Internet chat rooms to pick out those who use it as a platform to abuse young children.

The Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Dr Lee Boon Yang): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos. 10, 11

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and 12 together because they cover essentially the same area?

Mr Speaker: Yes.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, I share the Members' concerns about sex predators abusing the Internet to victimise the young. To protect our young, we have in place a three-pronged approach based on enforcement of our laws against such crimes, public education and concerted industry self-regulation to help make our online environment safe for users.

First, on legal enforcement. Sir, there were eight reported cases of Internet-related sex offences involving victims under the age of 16 in 2004. The Police takes a serious view of every such offence. Where offences have been committed, they will investigate them thoroughly, apprehend the offenders and prosecute them.

Sir, as the Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs has just said a moment ago, we have tough laws against sex predators who prey on the young. For example, an offence of statutory rape under the Penal Code, involving a woman under 14 years of age, carries a mandatory minimum imprisonment term of eight years and a maximum of 20 years, with not less than 12 strokes of the cane. It is also an offence for any man to engage in sexual intercourse with a woman below 16 years of age, whether or not there was consent, except by way of marriage. The offender is liable for imprisonment of up to five years and a maximum fine of $10,000.

Sir, additionally, the Children and Young Persons Act makes it an offence for any person to commit or abet the commission of or procure or attempt to procure the commission by any person of any obscene or indecent act with any child or young person under 16 years of age. If convicted, the offender is liable for imprisonment of up to two years or a

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maximum fine of $5,000, or to both and, in the case of a second or subsequent conviction, imprisonment of up to four years or a maximum fine of $10,000, or to both.

Next, on industry regulation. The Government recognises that legal enforcement alone is not enough. Therefore, through the Media Development Authority (MDA) and the National Internet Advisory Council (NIAC), the Government has been working actively with industry groups, such as the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) and the local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to develop programmes to promote greater industry regulation. One result is that the Internet Service Providers now offer to subscribers Family Access Networks (FANs). These are networks that filter out undesirable websites on behalf of the subscribers. I strongly advise parents with young children to subscribe to such services so as to be able to ensure that their children do not gain access to undesirable websites.

In February this year, a group of players in the IT and Internet industry launched the Internet Industry

Association of Singapore (IIAS). Part of its mandate is to help and counsel children exposed to inappropriate material online and work with other community groups to explore ways to protect young users from online predators.

Next, on public education. Parents, schools and the community also have an important role to play. They must instil the correct values in our young and promote safe practices online. To this end, the Cyber Wellness Task Force, set up by the National Internet Advisory Council, has embarked on public education programmes with strategic partners, such as the Ministry of Education, National Institute of Education,

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National Youth Council and National Library Board. In July this year, the National Institute of Education will launch the Group Endeavours in Service Learning Project whereby trainee teachers can mentor teenagers online.

MDA has also supported complementary public education efforts on Internet safety. It has provided funds to support the educational programmes of Parents Advisory Group for the Internet (PAGi) and Touch Community Services. Together, the two groups have reached out to over 140,000 parents and youths.

Mr Speaker, however, the nature of the Internet, with a large number of websites and chatrooms, often hosting anonymous and transient exchanges, makes it impossible to completely insulate our young from encountering sex predators and other undesirable influences. Short of shutting down our connection to the Internet, we cannot completely insulate our young and youth from its dangers. But we can and have taken practical measures to try and equip our Internet users, particularly the young, with the know-how and the judgement to handle what they encounter in cyberspace. The Government, industry and community will continue to work together to provide a safer online environment for our young.

Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): Sir, can the Minister inform the House whether they have a profile of these chatroom abusers, their typical tactics and also the pattern that they operate so that we could advise our educators, that is, our teachers, principals as well as parents, on how to deal with them? The second question is whether the Minister will work with the Ministry of Education to form a special squad, basically to protect our young children who are using the chatrooms. In fact, I went in just as a simple messenger, although it requires the person who owns this account to access

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it. But if any of the experienced man could have just penetrated any of the students' accounts, he could access any of the private chatrooms straightaway.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Mdm Cynthia Phua for her suggestion about studying the profile of chatroom abusers. This is certainly an area that the Cyber Wellness Task Force, which has been set up under the National Internet Advisory Council, will look into. We will certainly work closely with the Ministry of Education, as I said a moment ago, in introducing programmes, such as Group Endeavours in Service Learning Project, a mentorship programme, to ensure that our students and our young are well-equipped to handle the dangers that lurk in cyberspace. We will work closely with all parties, the Education Ministry, the community and any other organisation that has an interest in this area.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether there were any cases that were prosecuted because of solicitation on the Internet, that means, the deed was not performed but there was a clear evidence of solicitation. The Minister said that there were actually such laws for acts of procurement. I would also like to ask the Minister if the industry is required to undertake surveillance of the website and to shut down the website where there is solicitation of sex with minors.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not aware of any specific prosecution in the case of procurement online or through various other avenues or forums. If such cases are brought to the Police's attention, I believe the Police would also act against anyone who attempts to procure sex with minors through an online avenue. In terms of industry vigilance to seek out such chatrooms and other forums which may be abused by the sex predators, this is an ongoing and

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continuous exercise. They will be on the look out for such chatrooms and forums which may lend itself to abuse by sex predators and they will advise parents, particularly through their family access network subscribers, to ensure that these are the sites that will be blocked off or access denied for families with young children.

Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung (Sembawang): Would the Minister consider having deterrent penalties for those who are using the Internet as a means of procuring sexual services, especially with minors, because it seems that it is so easy to get involved in chatrooms, and so easy to proposition youngsters, and so on?

Would the Minister consider enhancing penalties for this type of solicitation?

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, as the SMS for Home Affairs has said and as I have said earlier on, the present penalties are already very severe and strict, and our enforcement of the law is very rigorous. By the same token, we do review our penalties regularly. If we deem there is a need to enhance the deterrent effect of our existing penalties, let me assure hon. Members that the Government will not shy away from taking such a step.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: Sir, the Minister mentioned that sex with girls below the age of 16 is an offence, regardless of consent. Unfortunately, that does not apply with regard to sex with young boys below the age of 16 or younger. So, is there some way where the Ministry can work with other relevant Ministries, such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, to ensure that we have a much more comprehensive law to protect young people, regardless of their gender, against sex exploitation and abuse?

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I suggest that the hon. Member

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direct this question towards the appropriate Ministry?

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Sir, can the Minister also clarify if the prevalence of the 1900 chatlines is also causing more harm to our children and youths in our society, especially considering that there are many sexual predators prowling these chatlines too soliciting for sex with the youths and minors? Should this service also not actually be closed down or at least come under closer police supervision too?

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, we will consider looking at the chatlines as a possible venue or means by which sex predators can commit their crimes or contact the young people. In terms of our cyber wellness and Parents Advisory Group on the Internet, we will also look at some of these other peripherals - although not directly Internet but related - type of services where abusers may lurk and where they may commit their crimes or acts of procurement.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Sir, I would like to ask the Minister if the Ministry could consider working with MHA to see how to more effectively enforce the laws relating to audacious solicitation of sex with minors on the Internet.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, certainly my Ministry, IDA and MDA will all be interested in working closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Police. Conceivably, one could mount sting operations to ensure that those who use such fora to do so, whether it is chatline or chatrooms, may well face the full force of the law.

Mr Speaker: Last question, Mdm Phua.

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Mdm Cynthia Phua: Mr Speaker, Sir, I just want to re-emphasise what Dr Amy Khor has said. As reported in the papers, it is already stated that, in the website itself, it is open solicitation. It is very explicit in the offers. Yet, in the cases that we have, we do not even have a case offender that is being prosecuted. So, I really would like the Ministry to have a squad to look at these cases and protect our young children from the "innocent" chatrooms.

Mr Speaker: That was not a question. Your next Question, Mdm Cynthia Phua.