Many UAE girls fall victim to cyber blackmail, Emirati foundation urges parents to monitor what children post online

  DUBAI - A study conducted by an Emirati foundation showed that one out of five girls in the UAE encounter family and social problems arising from cyber blackmail. The research was done for three months by Watani Al Emarat Foundation and involved 62 girls aged 15-18 across the UAE. Dirar Al Falasi, director the foundation, noted that youngsters post photos and even personal information online, leaving them open to cyber blackmail. "The problem with many young people online is that they do not know what the limit is and what the consequences are," said Falasi. Falasi said parents have a big role in ensuring that their children, especially their daughters, are monitored wth regard what they post online. "Parents should not give their children access to technology and the web without restrictions. The parents don’t know how powerful or how dangerous it is," Falasi said. Cyber blackmail cases in Dubai went up by 275 percent in the past two years with 300 reported last year, up from 212 in 2014 and 80 in 2013, it was learned. "Of particular concern were the increasing number of online blackmail incidents. There were some situations where the girls’ online pictures were taken and used against them to extort money – again it comes down to providing them with awareness," said Falasi. The foundation, along with Al Ameen, a joint project of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and Dubai Police that spreads awareness about social media privacy, lectures students about the pitfalls of social media use and the country’s Internet regulations. Meanwhile, Falasi said awareness campaigns related to the issue can be undone if a parent or relative does not cooperate in efforts to keep children safe from cyber blackmail. "There is a saying in Arabic ‘one hand cannot clap’ – I might be doing my share but a parent or an uncle could do something wrong and ruin everything," he added.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