Jongno Police Station Provides Digital Crime Prevention Education for Group Home Youth

The Jongno Police Station in Seoul announced on the 27th that it conducted 'Digital Crime Prevention Education' for 30 middle and high school students living in group homes in Seoul, in collaboration with the Seoul Child Shared Living Home Support Center. Group homes refer to facilities where 5 to 7 children and adolescents in need of protection reside.

According to the Ministry of Education, the number of digital sex crimes against children and adolescents increased sharply by 61.9%, from 64 cases in 2019 to 103 cases in 2020. The number of youths arrested for illegal gambling over five years since 2017 is 381. The average age of first exposure to gambling has also decreased from 18.2 years in 2017 to 17.6 years in 2021. Since cyber gambling-related crimes can lead to secondary crimes, preventive education is necessary.

The school prevention officers and cyber investigators of Jongno Police Station educated the youths on sharing victim cases, recovery support, and coping strategies to prevent crimes such as cyber sexual exploitation, gambling, and e-commerce fraud.

A police official stated, "The school police officers and cyber investigation team at Jongno Police Station will re-examine crime types vulnerable to youths in collaboration with the Child Shared Living Home Support Center," adding, "We will conduct re-education around May to ensure that youths are protected and safe from crimes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.