A new kind of cyberbullying: Lubinets appealed to the Ministry of Education and the National Police

The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets appealed to the Ministry of Education and Science and law enforcement agencies to protect children from cyberbullying on social media. The Ombudsman reported this in Telegram, UNN reports .

During the monitoring of social networks and the Internet, telegram channels were found threatening schoolchildren. The attackers publish photos of children with comments that degrade their honor and dignity and call for physical and psychological pressure. Moreover, the administrator of one of these Telegram channels offers to delete shameful messages for a reward,

Details

Lubinets said that such telegram channels have been recorded in Dnipro and Kyiv region. However, there is a possibility of similar ones in other regions.

He emphasized that, according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Constitution of Ukraine and the Law "On Protection of Childhood," no child may be subject to unlawful attacks on his or her honor and dignity, and all children are guaranteed inviolability and protection from all forms of violence.

In order to protect children's rights, the Ombudsman appealed to the Ministry of Education to conduct awareness-raising campaigns for schoolchildren on combating bullying and preventing any manifestations of violence, and to the Main Department of the National Police in Dnipro and Kyiv regions to take measures to eliminate threats to the life and health of children and their public safety.

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

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

According to the Commissioner, children should know how to act in cases where they have become victims or witnesses of cyberbullying, in particular, to seek help from trusted adults and keep 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. Children should feel safe - both in real life and on the Internet.

Recall

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