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The outraged response from Lebanese society to the revelation of a human trafficking network exploiting children via TikTok is both understandable and logical.
No matter the extent of the lack of morality, there’s no justification for abusing and exploiting children in this manner.
While some may justify theft due to poverty or murder as revenge, we neither endorse nor admit such conceptions. However, it is inconceivable to find anyone who would accept abusing children without any justification other than greed, a lack of principles and ethics, and perverse desire.
Now that we have made things clear, the next stage of the discussion about the exposure of this network should focus on multiple aspects, notably who should assume blame and responsibilities.
The entire society has collectively directed blame towards the TikTok platform, and there’s merit to this accusation. The platform has become a stage for all sorts of ridiculousness and irrationalities, with individuals chasing fame and positioning themselves as influencers without any restrictions or logic.
Describing TikTok as the dumpster of social media platforms holds a grain of truth. When we navigate through various podiums and pages filled with cheap rhetoric and abjection, the marketing of expression through insinuations and vulgar language turns these podiums into a marketplace of sordidness.
However, the actual culpability that is overtly overlooked lies with society, which persistently refuses to admit its fault when it mishandles such phenomena.
Lebanese society shies away from openly discussing sexual or sensitive matters, including child rape. When a family is faced with such a situation and learns of the child’s ordeal, the reaction is often to cover it up to protect the family’s reputation, overlooking the potential threats or complications the child may endure due to this wrong approach.
If the first victim of the criminal network had come forward publicly and filed a complaint, disregarding societal opinions, perhaps we wouldn’t have witnessed this large number of victims. We wouldn’t have endured the myriad complications that have made dozens of children victims and an equal number of criminals.
If this network hadn’t been exposed, the crimes would likely have continued to this day, with all the affected families behaving similarly — covering up the issue and denying the reality in order to protect their reputation.
Beyond that, many families would go so far as to deny their victims, choosing to remain silent about the incident and acting as if life could carry on as usual, under the false assumption that the victim would eventually forget.
This abuse cannot be forgotten. Victims urgently need support from professional certified psychologists to speak openly about what happened, as suppressing it only exacerbates the problem. Neglecting treatment can escalate the issue from significant to severe, potentially leading each victim to accumulate psychological trauma that may manifest in criminal behavior or untreated depression as they age.
What parents really need to do is ensure their children receive psychological therapy to get through this with minimal harm, as the repercussions of neglecting it could be exhausting for both the children and their families.
Adopting this approach is the only way for society to go beyond the horrendous TikTok crime. While trying to blame the platform, we must acknowledge the essential role that society plays in this issue. It is crucial for society to promptly address this matter to protect the generations that have experienced the most horrific crimes.
