DEPUTIES ON the House Human Rights Committee yesterday called for a total ban on the import and use of the Mosquito, a device designed to discourage loitering by undesirable adolescents by emitting high-frequency sounds.
The teen deterrent emits an irritating, high-pitched sound that can only be heard by children and young people up into their early twenties, forcing them to move on.
The sounds emitted can cause headaches, sometimes severe. The technology exploits the fact that adults (persons above the age 25) cannot perceive ultrasonic waves.
The remote-controlled unit is in use in a number of European countries, including England, Belgium and Germany. It is popular with town councils, shopkeepers and police who aim to tackle anti-social behaviour.
The device comes in several models. The basic model emits high-frequency sounds; a newer version employs a different tactic, deterring youths by playing classical or Chill-out music instead.
Children’s rights campaigners in England have been calling for a complete ban. They say the device constitutes a “disproportionate interference with an individual’s right to a private life.”
In a recommendation last July, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) urged the governments of EU member-states to ban the marketing and use of the Mosquito, order a health impact study of the device, and inform consumers of the conclusions of this impact study.
No comprehensive medical study has yet been carried out to ascertain the effects of exposure to the device.
“The problems of juvenile delinquency and the security of our fellow citizens should not be left in the hands of inventors of protection systems, nor should such problems give rise to the marketing of unregulated products,” PACE noted.
PACE has asked the Cyprus Youth Board, a semi-governmental organisation, to gauge attitudes in Cyprus toward the device and report back to it. The board also sought feedback from the local Child Commissioner.
Following a briefing by the board, parliamentarians yesterday voiced their opposition to the import and use of the Mosquito, on the grounds that it violates basic human rights, such as the right to congregate and the right to privacy.
Maria Rossidou, a senior officer with the Child Commissioner, said the use of the device is discriminatory, as it singles out a specific section of the populace – in this case youths.
“Therefore, our recommendation is that use of the device is a clear breach of human rights,” Rossidou told the Mail.
Panicos Stavrianos, an AKEL deputy on the House Human Rights Committee, said that to their knowledge the device is not currently available on the island.
“And we want to keep it that way,” he added.
Calling the device “hazardous to health,” the MP said it could potentially cause headaches and nausea to younger children and infants.
Committee chairman Sofocles Fyttis said parliament would put its position in writing and advise the relevant ministries of Finance and Commerce to enforce a ban on the import of the device.
