The Exit 31 project has been launched in Russia to protect teenagers who are forced to commit crimes through threats and psychological pressure. The project aims to help children drawn into criminal groups leave those circles behind and return to their families, friends and normal lives.
As part of the project, which was reviewed on August 31, outdoor advertisements, posters, television commercials and social media content were prepared. These materials explain that genuine law enforcement officers will not contact people through messaging applications from unknown numbers and urge them to block such messages immediately.
Children are pushed into crime through blackmail and threats
Vitaly Milonov, deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Family, Paternity, Maternity and Childhood Protection, reacted to the recruitment of teenagers into criminal networks. Milonov said it was important for children driven into difficult circumstances to return to a normal life with their families and friends.
Milonov also said he was pleased that such initiatives were being implemented, adding that the project could help children in difficult situations break free from criminals’ influence.
Two arson cases in the Moscow region
Russia’s Interior Ministry announced that a 15-year-old child was detained in the Moscow region at the beginning of August. According to the ministry, the child set fire to a gas station after being threatened by people unknown to him through a messaging application.
Similar incidents also occurred in the Moscow region in July. Blackmail and threats from unknown individuals forced a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy to set fire to a gas station and a transformer substation.
The Exit 31 project warns that young people may be deceived with offers of easy money and forced to commit crimes through threats to harm their loved ones.