UNICEF, Odisha Police organise workshop on 'Cyber Crime and Forensics' for cops

In a bid to curb cybercrime, a three-day long workshop on "Cyber Crime and Forensics" is being organised for state police by CID-Crime Branch of Odisha and UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund).

The police training, which began on Monday, emphasised on cyber offences against children for the first day.

"Violence against children is an important issue which UNICEF has been working on for quite some time now. Children remain the most vulnerable to online vicious and the threat to their safety and well being. This is worldwide spread problem," said Monika Nielsen, UNICEF's Odisha chief, during her address here at Police Bhawan here.

"A majority of damage suffered by minors might be related to suffering from psychological issues due to online manipulation. If anything taking places, the consequences can be physical in nature, potentially including sexual abuse," she said.

Nielsen also said UNICEF is committed to developing child-friendly police stations.

"I congratulate Odisha police for this kind of initiative. Cybercrime is silent and difficult to detect. Training of police is important to address those issues. This should not be restricted to Bhubaneswar only where we see probably such cases but also in rural places where children are more vulnerable. UNICEF will work in coordination to build child-friendly police stations," she told reporters.

Odisha DGP Dr Rajendra Prasad Sharma said, "In last two decades, you have had computers and mobile phones with internet. Bad people with criminal mindsets are also misusing these devices. Nobody is unaffected by cybercrime today. Children are soft targets for cybercriminals.