Participation in e Safety professional development session provided me the opportunity to explore the e Safety Commissioner for kids and young people, and was surprised to find useful resources, including videos and lesson plans, which could be used between units or on days when a change of topic is required. I accessed the video library and couldn’t get off the page without viewing a few videos and they were interesting and not boring.
My exploration led me to the key issues tab, and I found topics mentioned on image-based abuse, sending nudes and sexting and sextortion, which I had seen on Australian Cyber Security Centre website under alerts. News or reports about crimes related to these topics including voyeurism have left me wondering if the criminals, if equipped with the knowledge about the respective laws and the consequences, would have proceeded with the crimes.
I viewed the documentary ‘The Voyeur’ on Netflix and entertained the thought that the confessor, at the time of active voyeurism, never thought about the consequences but was worried about public reaction when a reputed journalist published a book about his confessions.
While writing my second book ‘The Aeon of Improbable Scams’ I researched about sextortion and voyeurism to make the narrative convincing to the readers and stumbled upon the Australian Voyeurism Law.
If I stated that hundreds and thousands of Australians have no idea that a law exists for the above-mentioned crimes it wouldn’t be hyperbolic. Having the right information becomes useful to an individual when making choices as it will be an outcome based on knowledge and not on ignorance. Having an understanding about the consequences for any action has not prevented people from taking risks. We know that alcohol and smoking are injurious to health and that these habits will lead to health issues, even if these issues don’t lead us to our graves. Knowing has not influenced hundreds and thousands of consumers to abstain from these toxic products either because they are epicureans or because they uphold the belief that a few evil necessities add colour, fun and frolic to life
Awareness on a variety of subjects, be it health, medical or abuse, has always led to improvement. A basic understanding of significant laws that are related to issues we are likely to face in our daily lives would be beneficial to individuals, families and to the society overall. eSafety Commissioner provides young people an understanding of rights by giving them the necessary information about ways to cope and how to contact people or organizations for help. Kudos to all those who are involved in maintaining the website!
A Writer's Exposé 