The best documentaries about human rights arrived at the frontline city of Kherson. On November 16, the 21st Travelling Docudays UA Festival started at the Kherson Educational Center “SVOYE.” The opening film was the Czech documentary Caught in the Net by Vít Klusak and Barbora Chalupová, which tells about sexual abuse of children.  

 
In the film, three adult actresses pretend to be 12-year-olds and register on the most popular 18+ social networks for the sake of an experiment. The film crew arranges for them children’s rooms, and on their profiles, the actresses post real photos of themselves as 12-year-old girls. For authenticity, the women decorate their rooms with their childhood belongings: a dollhouse made by their father, sports medals, photos, drawings, a clothes hanger, etc.

 
The project participants follow clear rules: not to provoke, initiate, or encourage conversations on sexual topics. The camera records how older men join the video conversation with the “teenager” and offer to take off her clothes, show her body, and even offer money for such actions. The actresses repeatedly emphasize that they are 12 years old. This does not stop the “predators,” as these men are called in the film. 

 
A member of the film crew recognized one of these men. He works with children, organizing children's camps. This makes the story even more frightening and tragic. 

 
A touching moment of the film was when an ordinary guy who had no bad intentions joined the video chat with one of the characters. This moved her so much that she burst into tears. During the previous 10 days, she has only been dealing with perverts. 

 
An important part of the film is the advice coming from the actresses who analyze each of these situations: the child is not obliged to continue such communication and instead tell a person she trusts; one shouldn't send naked photos of oneself to anyone; “predators” manipulate children through flattery; and a gift can turn into a tool for coercion. Moreover, if a girl agrees to meet with such a man, it should be done in a public place, such as a shopping mall or a cafe. 

About the problem 

The film Caught in the Net is part of the information campaign “Sexual Abuse on the Internet: How to Protect Children.” It was launched this year by the NGO Docudays, the DOCU/CLUB Network, and the NGO Magnolia.

 
This film is dedicated to the reality of the modern Internet space. It shows how social media can be used for manipulation and psychological pressure. The film raises important issues of ethics and responsibility on media platforms, as well as the ways society can protect children and teenagers from these threats. 

 
Unwanted conversations on sexual topics, strangers sending porn or photos of their own genitals, interest in intimate parts of the child's body, offers to show or touch themselves naked on camera or take off their underwear, possible distribution of these materials, blackmailing and real life meetings – all of this may sound very vague to parents, who think this is “definitely not about our child.”

Still from the film Kiosk.

However, this problem has affected all countries. According to INHOPE (a global network that brings together 54 countries to combat child sexual abuse materials on the Internet), Ukraine was ranked 5th in the world in 2022 for posting child sexual abuse materials on the Internet. Every 12th child in Ukraine has received a request to send nude photos of themselves, and almost one forth of children have been involved in at least one situation of sexual abuse or exploitation online. These are the national statistics data from 2020. Half of the children have not told anyone what happened to them. Most of the children have not received any warnings or explanations about such threats from the adults.

The informational campaign aims to make the problem more visible in order to engage society into discussions on how to protect children, warn parents, and stop these crimes. 

 
Modern children do not know what the world was like before the Internet. Their entire lives take place online: they study, have fun, share their content, communicate with friends, and find new acquaintances in any part of the world, since cyberspace provides endless opportunities for all of this. However, we don't always know who is really hiding behind a nickname, and whether it is being used by criminals.

 
About the discussion

After the screening of the film Caught in the Net in Kherson, the audience shared their thoughts. Some of the viewers suggested that the Internet helps modern children grow up faster, and parents, teachers, and everyone involved in their upbringing need to be aware of this fact. 

 
During the discussion, the moderator of the screening, Nataliya Shatilova-Pogasiy, noted that parents often delegate the duty of raising their children to teachers, saying, “let them learn everything good and right.” “How appropriate is this? Is it really the teachers’ responsibility, rather than ours as parents?” she asked the audience. 
The theme of child sexual abuse is still complex and uncomfortable, verging on taboo in Ukrainian society. 
“This is a story about the fact that we don't always hear our children, and they are not always ready to communicate with us. We are busy with our careers, believing that the material benefits we provide them with are enough,” Natalia Shatilova-Pogasiy reflects. 

Another participant of the screening elaborated on this idea: “We have to take an interest in our children. Not just ask them ‘how was your day’ during dinner. Sometimes getting some information out of a child is difficult. In this case, we need to find an approach to them. Social networks will not disappear, so children should be taught safe behavior on the Internet at school.”

One more viewer shared her own experience, which shows how close this danger can be: “My children and I went on vacation to Chornomorsk. We posted photos of ourselves in swimsuits on social media. After that, strangers over 50 began to add me as friends – 10 people in one day. At first I didn't understand what happened. Only later did I realize that those photos could be the reason.”  

About the festival

For over 20 years, the Travelling Docudays UA has been raising awareness about critical social and political issues, including the protection of human rights and freedoms, the fight against social inequality, environmental concerns, the preservation of cultural heritage, the causes and consequences of wars, and the pursuit of justice. In doing so, it has contributed to the formation of an active civil society and the development of documentary cinema.

The 21st Travelling Festival will visit 15 regions in October and November. The central theme of this year's Docudays UA is “10 Years of a Three-Day War That Lasts for Three Centuries” – a title rich with contradictions that has become part of modern Ukrainian folklore.

“We are addressing historical memory, its fragility, and the persistent attempts of adversaries to alter and rewrite it. We are discussing the cyclical nature of history, the preservation and search for identity, as well as the issues of responsibility, the punishment of war criminals, and the establishment of a new security architecture,” the organizers note.

Out of 62 films in the main program of the Docudays UA festival, which took place from May to June in Kyiv, six films by Ukrainian and foreign directors were selected for this year's Travelling Festival. Three of them will be screened in Kherson: in addition to Caught in the Net, the viewers will be able to watch Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil and The Kyiv Files. 

For safety reasons, the coordinators will inform registered attendees of the event in Kherson about the venue details.

For those unable to attend the screenings in person and for residents of cities the festival cannot visit, the films from the 21st Travelling program will be available for viewing on the DOCUSPACE online cinema page during the last week of November.

Author: Iryna Bulanenko

Title photo: a still from the film Kiosk.

The 21st Travelling Docudays UA is supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine, and International Media Support. The opinions, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily reflect the views of respective governments or charitable organizations of these countries. The author(s) of this publication are solely responsible for its content.