Aashray Mathai, a high school student at Oakridge International School, Bachupally, founder of MPowered organisation, has been busy creating an army of young Cyber Safety Warriors in Hyderabad.
The post-Covid exponential rise in use of the internet, social platforms, online games and different applications has created huge opportunities for human traffickers. They create fake websites, gaming applications, social networking sites, lottery or job advertisements on different portals, etc. which are used to lure and trap youth and children. According to Crime in India Report 2020, 88% of victims of human trafficking in India were women and children, with children constituting 47% of the total.
While spending time with underprivileged kids over the past two years, teaching them foundational skills, Aashray realised that with increased usage of mobiles after the pandemic, the young ones and their families were at a great risk, and that the key to combating this growing threat is through awareness.
Aashray Mathai researched and designed a kid-friendly Best Practices presentation to educate these children about cyber safety. After many successful awareness and poster creation sessions outlining important safety rules in various slums, he is confident the kids and their families are now safer online.
Taking it a step further, Aashray Mathai’s MPowered organisation has teamed up with the Cybercrime and Women’s safety wing of the Cyberabad Police, and organised awareness sessions at the Rao’s chain of schools around Hyderabad.
Explaining the various dangers in the cyberworld, Aashray conducted highly engaging Q&A symposia giving kids various scenarios of cybercrimes and asking how they would react, and explaining best practices to stay safe in the online world. He then appointed thought leaders amongst them as Cyber Safety Warriors, incharge of having similar discussions with the rest of the grades and also in their neighbourhoods. The Warriors are extremely eager and enthused to carry out this important role.
Aashray Mathai plans to continue these sessions in various segments of society to create a safer cyber world for all around us.