THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when children are falling prey to dangerous online games such as ‘Blue Whale’ and other cyber hazards, here comes help. The state police have come up with an initiative named ‘Kid Glove’ which focusses on creating awareness and capacity building to counter and tackle the threats from cyberspace.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the ‘Kid Glove’ project on a state-wide basis at a function held at the Christ Nagar School in the capital on Monday. Pinarayi said the safe internet is as important a right of children as good clothing and good education.The Chief Minister noted that majority of adults are in awe of the rapid developments in the cyber world. Many of them learn the basics of Information Technology from their own children. In many cases, the parents have to pay a heavy price for acquiring cyber knowledge from their children.
Pinarayi cautioned parents to be wary of their children misusing the freedom they get in the cyber world. He said it has come to the notice of the police that some children are getting involved in cyber crimes. In order to rescue children from the clutches of internet’s dark underbelly, parents and teachers should be aware of the dangers lurking in the cyber world, Pinarayi said. The Chief Minister mooted the idea of launching cyber counselling centres in all schools with help from IT professionals.
The Chief Minister also carried out the switch on of a drone designed by students with help from the Kerala Police Cyberdome. He also inaugurated the digital park which will have a number of activities that will help students to learn cyber security while enjoying various digital tasks. Students will be taught cyber security basics such as the importance of keeping one’s password secret. A digital module has also been prepared for representatives of each school to teach the topics to other children.A magic performance by Gopinath Muthukad informed the audience on the perils of cyber world. K Muraleedharan MLA presided over the function. DGP Loknath Behera and others were present.
Six children-friendly police stations to be launched today
T’Puram: In an effort to bridge the gap between the police and children, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate six children-friendly police stations in the state on Tuesday. Six police stations selected from six districts are included in the first phase of the project. Thiruvananthapuram Fort, Kollam East, Ernakulam Kadavanthra, Thrissur East, Kozhikode town and Kannur town are the stations included in the initial phase. The statewide inauguration will be held at the Fort police station in the capital. In a statement, state police chief Loknath Behera said the children friendly police stations are the first of its kind in the country and they will set a model for other states. “The pilot project was envisaged as part of ‘Children and Police’ (CAP), a unique initiative of state police to ensure care and safety to children. The police stations included in the project will take steps to enforce the laws related to children such as Juvenile Justice Act and POCSO act. The stations will concentrate on the cases related to crime against children. The registration of cases in the stations will be fast so that the children would get justice as soon as possible,” the DGP said in a statement. The stations have already made arrangements to make them look more children friendly.