Criminally-Legal Prevention of Sexual Assaults Against Minors on the Internet: Foreign and Domestic Experience

The development of information technology carries not only positive aspects associated with simplifying the transfer of information and increasing communication between people, but also certain serious risks associated with the loss of individualized communication among young people, a decrease in parental control over children when they receive information through telecommunication means, implementation of normal spiritual, moral and psychological education of a minor. Today, there is a negative trend on the Internet associated with attacks on minors, persons suffering from sexual perversion. Recently, new forms of visualized psychological influence have appeared on the Internet that are associated with sexual integrity such as online grooming, sexting, and sex chatting. Internet groomers use many psychological techniques to manipulate minors, such as flattery, threats, manipulation as well as various ways in which minors are engaged in risky online behavior (for example, communicating with strangers on the Internet, exchanging private and personal information). In the article the authors analyze the international legislation, as well as the national criminal legislation of particular countries of the world aimed at preventing sexual assaults against minors on the Internet. On the basis of the performed comparative legal analysis, the authors make proposals to amend the current Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

security, Internet, minors, abuse, online grooming, sexual assault