Tougher laws to protect children online

The Ministry of Justice is taking swift action in the wake of what has been dubbed the largest paedophilia case in Faroese history.

We reported earlier this month that police had identified 14 children who have been subjected to online grooming in the Faroes and that the real number may be significantly higher.

Online grooming is where a person befriends a child online and builds up their trust with the intention of exploiting them. Harm caused by grooming can be sexual abuse, both in person and online, and exploitation to obtain sexually explicit images and videos of a child.

A priority matter

This news has prompted the Ministry of Justice to prepare legislation that explicitly makes sexual grooming a culpable activity, along with tightening the punishment for sexual extortion, also known as sextortion.

“These legislative changes have been in the making for some time, but this recent news from the police is speeding up our work,” says justice minister Bjarni Kárason Petersen.

“Our aim is to have these law changes ready by 1 January 2024. I can’t imagine any parliamentary opposition to our proposal, so the changes should be ready by that time.”

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

More Faroese News in English.