Noticing an increase in reports of many teenage school children being caught up in sharing private photos of themselves with others, Education Minister, Priya Manickchand took to her Facebook page this morning to warn students and other youths against getting involved in sexting.

Sexting is term used to describe the act of sending, receiving, or sharing sexual messages, photos, or videos using a phone, computer, or other digital device.

As schools host Christmas parties and other social events for the end of the school term, the Education Minister said too many young people are being hurt by the act.

“When you are in safe spaces like your bedroom or your sitting room or your home, where you feel like you are private and you feel safe, and you feel as if you are anonymous, the sense of anonymity, that the phone gives you, you can do things that you would not ordinarily would not do in public, and that you wouldn’t even dream of doing because you feel safe, and you feel like you are known. And I have seen that happening a little too often and so I want you to think about this and think about this consciously. I have seen persons taking pictures of their naked or semi-clothed bodies, either stills or videos, and sending it to people that they think are friends or that they think would preserve your privacy, and I have seen how those pictures or videos are used to hurt our young people, particularly our girls”, the Minister said.

The Minister, who is also an Attorney, explained that by taking those nude and semi nude photos and sending them to other persons, one would be surrendering a whole lot of their power, and they should never do that.

“First think you should do before you take those pictures or videos is to ask yourself how you would feel if this was on a billboard that you had to pass and see, or how you would feel if it is exposed on the internet, and those are relevant questions because that is exactly what could happen and what has happened to many many young people across the world who felt safe when they were taking those pictures and who felt confident that the people they were sending it to would never hurt them, but they did. So if you are ever tempted to take pictures or videos of your body, I ask you to think again about that because it can cause you a lot of hurt”, Minister Manickchand warned.

The Ministry of Education has found itself dealing with a number of instances of teenage school children sending inappropriate photographs and videos of themselves to their friends and those videos and photographs being shared with others.

“If you have ever done that and someone is blackmailing you or threatening you about the use of those pictures, then just let us know and we will make sure that they don’t have that power over you. If it has been done already, and its done, then don’t let that define you. But for those of you who have never done that, and who may not have even thought about it, I want to actively think about how you would feel if those pictures and videos become public. And I want you to know, if you send it to someone or many someones, even if you love or trust that person at that moment, you give up the power to determine whether or not it be published and that’s not right”, she said.

The Education Minister and officials of her Ministry have been meeting with students who have found themselves as victims of sexting. The Education Ministry has a Welfare Department as well as a Counseling Department that has been providing services to those students.

Minister Manickchand said it is important for young people to be reminded of the dangers of sexting and the surrender of one’s power that it entails.

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