New type of cyberbullying: Lubinets appealed to the Ministry of Education and the National Police

The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, has appealed to the Ministry of Education and Science and law enforcement agencies regarding the protection of children from cyberbullying on social networks. The Ombudsman reported this on Telegram, writes UNN.

During monitoring of social networks and the Internet space, Telegram channels were discovered where schoolchildren are threatened. The perpetrators publish photos of children with comments that humiliate their honor and dignity, and call for physical and psychological pressure. Moreover, the administrator of one of these Telegram channels offers to remove defamatory messages for a fee,

Details

Lubinets stated that currently the existence of such Telegram channels has been recorded in Dnipro and the Kyiv region. However, there is a possibility of similar ones existing in other regions.

He emphasized that, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Constitution of Ukraine, and the Law "On Protection of Childhood," no child may be the object of an unlawful attack on their honor and dignity; all children are guaranteed inviolability and protection from all forms of violence.

With the aim of protecting children's rights, the Commissioner appealed to the Ministry of Education with a request to conduct informational and educational campaigns for schoolchildren on countering bullying and preventing any manifestations of violence, and to the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv regions regarding taking measures to eliminate threats to the life and health of children and their public safety.

At the same time, the Commissioner also calls on parents to be conscious of the threats that await children in the Internet space. After all, the development of technologies gives rise, among other things, to such a phenomenon as cyberbullying (harassment, intimidation, and humiliation using digital technologies).

Cyberbullying occurs on social networks, messengers, and various gaming and mobile platforms. Its double danger lies in the fact that calls for physical violence and insults that a child receives on the Internet can become reality,

As the Commissioner stated, children should know how to act in cases when they become a victim or witness of cyberbullying, in particular - to seek help from adults they trust and to preserve evidence (screenshots of correspondence, publications, photos).

He also noted that since cyberbullying is a form of violence, parents or other adults should report it to law enforcement agencies. Children should feel safe - both in real life and on the Internet.

Reminder

Over the past 5 years, more than 600 cases of bullying have been recorded in Ukrainian schools, with up to 2022 - over 140 cases per year. After the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the number of cases decreased by almost half.