After the Federal Police Administration (FUP) warned parents in the Sarajevo Canton about the increasing number of cases of illegal filming and distribution of explicit content involving minors who could be held accountable by the law, the Cantonal Ministry of Education stated that they had planned to hold an education session on the subject, but had to cancel it due to poor response from parents.
The request submitted by the FUP to the Ministry of Education of the Sarajevo Canton requests the urgent forwarding of the warning to parents to talk to primary and secondary school students about the legal consequences of the illegal exchange of intimate content. As stated in the request, it followed the increasing number of cases of filming, storing and exchanging explicit photos and videos between minors.
“The fact that these are children of the same age, alleged consent or mutual trust does not exclude criminal liability or reduce the seriousness of the consequences,” the text of the warning states, adding that a child can be both a victim and a suspect.
Parents are recommended to talk to their children about responsible behavior in the digital space without delay, to be familiar with the applications and communication channels that children use and to make it clear to them that the exchange of intimate content is prohibited and dangerous.
“We especially point out that the statute of limitations for criminal acts committed against children starts to run only from the moment the child reaches the age of majority, which means that the consequences of such actions can have a long-term character and be legally relevant many years after the event itself,” states the FUP.
Melisa Mizdrak, Head of the Department for Student Welfare at the Ministry of Education of the Canton of Sarajevo, in an interview for Detektor, explains that together with the FUP, they previously planned an education on amendments to the Criminal Code of the Federation regarding violence in the digital space and psychological violence, which they had to cancel due to poor response.
With these amendments, the concept of psychological violence was introduced and it was stated that any abuse that violates the psychological integrity of another person is punished. If the crime is committed against a child, a person with a disability, out of hatred or through information and communication technologies, the punishment is from six months to five years in prison.