Beware of your boyfriends, women's panel tells teens

Bhubaneswar

"Youths allegedly capture nude images of their girlfriends on CDS, after winning their trust."
- Jyoti Panigrahi, chairperson, Orissa women's Commission

State-wide campaign to caution young girls in Orissa

Cases of girls becoming victims of their boyfriends' malicious deeds are on the rise in Orissa. Youths first befriend girls, win their trust, get intimate with them and then secretly record their intimate moments on CDs. To earn quick buck, these youths then sell the CDs in the market.

The state women's commission has come to the rescue of these vulnerable victims. It has, through a statewide
campaign, asked all college students to be "very careful" about their "exploitative" boyfriends.

"This is a serious matter and a recent trend in Orissa. We will sensitise girls through a state-wide campaign during
which we will caution them not to cross their limits even though the boy may be sober and polite," Jyoti Panigrahi,
the chairperson of the state women's commission, told reporters.

This relatively recent trend came to light after a 22-year-old girl committed suicide last year in Cuttack when she
found her nude images in a CD allegedly made by her boyfriend. The youth was later arrested.

But this 22-year-old girl's case was not the only one. In Dhenkanal district, three more girls became victims of the
porn CD scam last month. "In these three cases, the youths allegedly captured nude images of their girlfriends' on
CDs secretly, after winning their trust," Panigrahi said.

A girl from Dhenkanal district recently attempted suicide after she found her nude images in a CD available in the
local market, Panigrahi added.

Similar cases have also been reported in Bolangir district, she said.

Panigrahi feels parents can play an important role in preventing their daughters from falling prey to youths. She has
advised them to be friendly with their daughters so that their daughters will share information and openly discuss
their relationships with acquaintances and friends. Parents of growing girls, particularly of those studying in college should be aware of what their daughters were doing and with whom they are making friends," she said.

The state women's commission has also sought help from the police to curb the menace.