The Mayor’s Office of Medellín, in coordination with the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agency of the United States Embassy, the Metropolitan Police of the Aburrá Valley and other entities, launched I Guardians-Me Protejo, a prevention and awareness campaign focused on the protection of children and adolescents against sexual exploitation and the dangers in the digital environment.
This pedagogical strategy seeks to educate and empower young people about the risks of social networks, sexting, sextortion and human trafficking, promoting the reporting and protection of children’s rights.
“The safety of our children and adolescents is a priority. With this strategy we seek to raise awareness, provide tools to prevent crimes and strengthen collaboration with international organizations such as HSI, which have allowed us to advance in the fight against child exploitation. Prevention is the key and it begins with education,” said the Secretary of Security and Coexistence, Manuel Villa Mejía.
Among the actions, a deployment in educational institutions of the city is contemplated, prioritizing schools in areas of high vulnerability. Among the institutions that have already received training are I.E. San Benito, CEFA, I.E. Héctor Abad Gómez and I.E. INEM José Félix de Restrepo.
The presentation was made at INEM José Félix de Restrepo, with the attendance of 200 students from ninth, tenth and eleventh grades, in addition to representatives of the Secretary of Education, the Management of the Center and Strategic Territories, the Metropolitan Police of Valle de Aburrá and the Embassy of the United States, who reaffirmed their commitment to child safety.
“I appreciate the collaboration of the mayor, his government, the Police and the North American International Agency in preventing risks for our students. We are facing threats such as kidnappings, robberies, gender violence and the misuse of social networks. I call on the community, families and the school to unite and report any suspicious situation, in order to protect our minors”, expressed the rector of the INEM Educational Institution, José Félix de Restrepo, Margarita María Jaramillo Guzmán.
Additionally, HSI experts conducted a specialized training for students, addressing issues such as data protection on the Internet, identification of online risks and actions to take in case of being a victim or witness of exploitation.
Since 2024, the District Administration and HSI have strengthened the strategies for the prevention and investigation of sexual crimes against minors, achieving the capture and admission of sexual predators, through tools such as the Angel Watch alert.
