Protection of sexual integrity of minors on the Internet

Protection of the sexual integrity of minors is one of the key tasks of criminal law protection. The protection of children from sexual violence is enshrined both in domestic legislation and at the level of international acts. At the same time, these crimes have always been considered one of the most dangerous criminal acts, as they lead to the loss of health and life of these children, as well as to a destroyed psyche. Not the last place in the commission of violent crimes against the sexual integrity of children is the Internet. The purpose of the study is a hypothesis about the need to increase the effectiveness of countering crimes that infringe on the sexual integrity of minors through the Internet. The methodological basis of the study is the methods of analysis and synthesis, which make it possible to identify a causal relationship between the Internet and the growth of crimes against sexual integrity. The statistical method makes it possible to trace the dynamics of the growth of the crimes under consideration, the logical method of presenting the research material is also used, as well as the method of modeling and abstraction. We analyze the possibilities of the Internet for committing the indicated crimes. These opportunities include: a variety of special digital programs that allow you to establish contact with a large number of children, also helping to collect data on children and use them to involve minors in committing crimes against them that infringe on their sexual integrity; the widespread use of mobile devices with access to the World Wide Web allows minors themselves to distribute their images of a sexual nature, which become the property of adults who are interested in receiving them. We focus on the means of committing the indicated crimes: mass distribution, placement and promotion on the Internet of materials containing images of sexual abuse of children; direct sale and receipt of financial rewards for such materials; creation of web studios for viewing pornographic materials; organization of child sex tourism. We identify the following forms of sexual exploitation and abuse of children: Internet harassment, drawing children into viewing materials that are detrimental to their development, where alcoholism, drug addiction, and prostitution are demonstrated and cultivated; involvement of minors in sexual contact; cyberbullying based on real and fake images of the sexual nature of minors; trafficking in minors into sexual slavery, etc. The results of the study are aimed at improving the mechanism for counteracting crimes that infringe on the sexual integrity of minors through the Internet.