"I can see the risks of the internet, but 11- and 12-year-olds may not,"says 16-year-old Mary. "I kind of feel responsible for younger childrenand have got knowledge of the internet, so I am in a position where Ican help them."
As a member of the youth panel set up by the Child Exploitation andOnline Protection (CEOP) centre, Mary is part of a 60-strong team of 11-to 16-year-olds helping professionals stamp out child sex abuse.
The explosion of the internet has created educational and recreationalopportunities for children and young people, but it has also brought anew danger into homes and schools. Half of the calls received by theCEOP centre since it opened in April relate to "grooming orgrooming-style behaviour", and the centre investigates four new cases aweek of paedophiles using the internet. The youth panel uses the victimsof this horrific crime to reach out to children and young people withinternet safety messages and, although not directly, to help catchpaedophiles.
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