Garda National Protective Services Bureau - Say No! - Awareness Campaign

Detective Superintendent Declan Daly from Online Child Exploitation Unit (OCEU) at the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB) was in studio to discuss a recent Say No! - Awareness Campaign on online child sexual coercion and extortion. The European Union police agency Europol has launched a new campaign against online sexual coercion and extortion of children in support of which the Garda Síochána today launches a "Say No” campaign.

The online coercion and extortion of children is a form of digital blackmail, sometimes referred to as ‘sextortion’, where sexual information or images are used to extort sexual material, sexual favours or money from children. The "Say No” campaign is aimed primarily at children and young people who may be targeted online as victims of online coercion and extortion.The centrepiece of the campaign is a 10-minute video, portraying two teenagers, a boy and girl, being exploited online either by a criminal organisation for money or by an individual online sexual offender seeking further sexual material. The video, includes advice as to how such crimes may be reported to An Garda Síochána. The Online Child Exploitation Unit (OCEU) at the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB) offers the following advice:

• Protect your online life - use the maximum privacy settings.

• Be aware that people online may not be who they claim to be

• Keep control online - do not share explicit or intimate images with anyone. If you believe you are a victim of this type of crime, you should do the following:

• Don’t share more, don’t pay anything

• Look for help. You are not alone

• Preserve evidence. Don’t delete anything

• Stop the communication. Block the person

• Report it to An Garda Síochána.

Garda National Protection Services Bureau