“If we were to save just one, two or three children, that would already be something! Because whilst we record complaints, we are unaware of all the cases that never reach us.” Don’t go thinking that the public prosecutor is disillusioned. David Lentz is, in fact, very clear-eyed about the difficulties facing the police and the justice system now that the first complaints have been lodged in connection with extreme violence against children and teenagers in Luxembourg. “Luxembourg is not an island,” Kristin Schmit, the Central Director of the Judicial Police, had said just moments earlier. And the phenomenon is not new: it has been 23 years since Cases, which gave rise to BeeSecure, began rolling out awareness campaigns, tools and recommendations to tackle the dangers of “the internet”.
What has changed is not only the level of violence, which is beginning to affect children and teenagers in Luxembourg via social media, instant messaging and online video games, but also this deadly dynamic whereby predators, perverts and torturers pushing these vulnerable young people to perform live in order to satisfy the urges of internet users sitting comfortably in front of their computers.
Sometimes it doesn’t take much.
Self-harm with razor blades, drug use, submission, suicide, animal cruelty, pornographic and child pornography images: anything goes when it comes to their own gratification – they who have spent time manipulating these young people as they are forming their adult identities, isolating them from their families and social circles, brainwashing them to eliminate all critical thinking, exacerbating their anxiety or depression, and pushing them towards all manner of risky behaviour.
Manipulation and atrocities at every level
“Sometimes it doesn’t take much,” said the public prosecutor. “Sometimes the predator simply manages to obtain the child’s address and uses information available online to piece together the rest of their details until they are in a position to start exerting pressure and get what they want.” The state – and Luxembourg is no worse than any other – is unable to ensure the security of its citizens’ personal data and is now paying the first price for a lawless world that the Compass project, launched last year by Europol, is failing to contain effectively.
This extreme nihilism – a violent radical movement based on a generalised hatred of society and the rejection of fundamental social norms – leads to the promotion or commission of acts of violence aimed at causing chaos, destruction or suffering, without any clearly defined ideological objective, began to be taken seriously by the authorities in 2021.
A phenomenon that may have lost its American founder, who is set to serve a life sentence from 2023 onwards, but whose decentralised nature, combined with the channels through which these groups operate – from Telegram to video games such as Roblox or Minecraft – sees new “apocalypse influencers” emerge every day, undermining the peaceful development of tomorrow’s society. And this makes the fight difficult, even though some countries classify these organisations as terrorist groups.
For if they refuse to take a political stance – whether on setting a minimum age for using social media, or on assessing whether Luxembourg is doing enough to monitor actual activity the two global porn giants based in his country, the public prosecutor and the head of the criminal investigation department, appearing before journalists in an extremely rare joint press conference, acknowledged that there is a lack of tools – both in the Criminal Code and in terms of resources – to combat crime more effectively.
It is very difficult to get someone out of these movements, which bear similarities to cults.
So… so that leaves the parents. “We need to raise parents’ awareness and make them understand that they have a responsibility,” says Mr Lentz. In the already turbulent world of a teenager transitioning into adulthood, parents should try to spot sudden changes in behaviour, excessive isolation, a marked secrecy surrounding online interactions, the use of ideological or coded language, rejection of family or friends, cash changing hands too easily, visible cuts, scratches, bites or burns, scars, or engravings of patterns, numbers or symbols on the body. It’s complicated, admits Mrs Schmit. “Parents need to engage in daily dialogue with their children. It is very difficult to get someone out of these movements, which bear similarities to cults.”
What can you do? Familiarise yourself with the apps and video games used by children and teenagers, consider using the safety features, set clear rules for use and discuss these regularly – particularly to understand what your child is being exposed to. But you must also be prepared to listen to your child if they come to you for help, document the content and contacts involved, and contact the police in the event of any potential incidents. It is also possible to seek professional support. Or consider filing a complaint or report so that the authorities can take action, either by investigating directly or by referring the matter to the relevant services.
Help is available. The situation is urgent.
Who to contact
(To our readers: these entities, their addresses and contact details have been provided by the police and judicial authorities)
Alupse Dialogue: support for children, teenagers and young adults (up to the age of 21) and their families who are victims of physical, sexual or psychological abuse, or neglect
Alupse Cosmos: care for minors who have committed sexual offences or acts of serious violence, as well as children or adolescents exhibiting alarming sexualised behaviour (up to the age of 18)
201 Route de Thionville, L-5885 Howald Tel.: 26 18 48 1
Centre for Excessive Behaviour and Behavioural Addiction 50 Route d’Esch, L-1470 Luxembourg www.zev.lu Email: info@zev.lu / Tel.: 26 48 00 38 or 621 835 968, available Monday to Friday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Bee-Secure www.bee-secure.lu • www.bee-secure.lu/fr/helpline/ • www.bee-secure.lu/fr/signaler-des-contenus/
Children’s and Youth Telephone Helpline: psychosocial issues and health, violence and abuse, harassment… Tel.: 116 111
Parents’ helpline: pconcerns regarding a child’s development www.kjt.lu Tel.: 8002 444
Neuropsychiatric Hospital: child and adolescent psychiatry Email: secmed@chnp.lu / Tel.: 2682 3700
National Centre for the Prevention of Addiction (Cnapa): information, training and advice on addiction prevention www.cnapa.lu
Service Request No: referrals to specialist support services, general information on substances and addiction Email: frono@cnapa.lu / Tel.: 49 77 77 55, available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. / WhatsApp: 691 497 754
respect.lu: prevention, support and deradicalisation work www.respect.lu Email: respect@respect.lu / Tel.: 20 60 62
reset.lu: An online streetwork service that offers young people, in particular, low-threshold access to advice and support in the digital space www.reset.lu Email: reset@respect.lu / WhatsApp: 621 707 464 / Insta: @reset.lu
Medical and Social League: Children themselves and parents of children aged 0 to 13 will be able to discuss any concerns they may have, seek advice and information on preventing children’s excessive screen time, and find out about the potential risks of the digital world (games, social media, the internet, etc.), as well as advice on managing screen time. Tel.: 8002 98 98, available from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (anonymous, confidential and free calls)
Separate: psychosocial and educational guidance services in secondary schools.
Reporting, complaints, child protection
The same applies to minors, whether they are perpetrators or victims. A report must be made as soon as there is a serious risk or proven abuse. It may be made by anyone, including parents, teachers, healthcare professionals, social workers or organisations. The report must be based on facts, supported where possible by digital evidence, without conducting any personal enquiries such as interviewing the minor. The Public Prosecutor’s Office will coordinate, on the one hand, the aspects relating to the protection of young people and the support to be provided and, on the other hand, the investigation into offenders.
A general template for a report form in French and German is available online at justice.public.lu/en/family/child-protection.
Reports may be sent either by post or by email to the following addresses:
Luxembourg Public Prosecutor’s Office Judicial Complex • Plateau du Saint-Esprit – PL Building • L-2080 Luxembourg Email: pal.signalementsmineurs@justice.etat.lu
Diekirch parquet Courthouse • 4 Place Guillaume • L-9237 Diekirch Email: pdiekirch.signalementsmineurs@justice.etat.lu
Practical information. Explanatory video on child abuse in general: justice.public.lu/en/family/child-protection • Emergency number for the police: 113 • Email address for the police: contact@police.public.lu • Police Blue Line (for non-emergency calls): 244 244 244.
