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Jonelle McIsaac says she was a victim of internet predators. - Source: ONE News -
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A teenage girl groomed for sex by an older man on the internet says she just wanted to find someone who "understood her".
Jonelle McIsaac was just 14 at the time and agreed to meet a stranger on the internet who was after sex.
"I just wanted to make connections with other people and have someone that understood me," she told TV ONE's Close Up.
McIsaac said the guy she planned to meet "groomed" her by talking like her boyfriend and calling her nicknames, which was soon followed by requests for sex.
After meeting the man, the teenager realised the reality of the situation and escaped, but the man began calling her mobile and leaving messages on her home phone.
A recent Close Up investigation into internet chat rooms revealed teenage girls were prey to older men interested in sex.
Director of INP Medical Services Annette Mulligan, who deals with victims of sexual assault, said people don't realise how vulnerable young girls are when using the internet.
"I think it's taking people quite a long time to realise just how vulnerable they are using the internet and using texting as a way of building a relationship.
"We've seen cases where young woman have really been exposed to a lot of text messages that are quite provocative and quite demanding."
McIsaac's mother said her daughter showed no sign of rebelling in any way at the time.
"The thought that she was on the internet talking to men was like, 'gosh, how did that happen?'"
Mulligan said part of the issue is parents not understanding technology.
"[Parents] don't know how to put in the safeguards for young people. We know how to protect our children if we are teaching them to drive& but we may not know how to teach them to be safe using cell phones and the internet."
Mulligan said communities owe it to young people to teach them
how to use technology safely.
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