Radio România Internațional

Tag: cyber-bullying

  • A Campaign against school violence

    A Campaign against school violence

    The
    Ministry of Education will be running a campaign entitled ‘You are not alone.
    Together we stop school violence’ after the latest violent events in the
    Romanian schools, where a high-school student has fired an airsoft gun in
    school and another one has stabbed one of his colleagues.




    These
    are just two of the cases but the Education Ministry last year reported over 10
    thousand cases of violence in Romanian schools, two thousand more than two
    years ago. A World Vision report over April-May this year also shows that one out
    of five children says that violence is present and very present in their schools.
    The former field Minister Sorin Campeanu has acknowledged the phenomenon and
    voiced the need of anti-bullying action groups in any Romanian school.




    You
    are not alone is the message we convey to students who have been victims of
    verbal, physical or psychological violence, we must support them and protect
    their right, the new field minister Ligia Deca has announced. In a communiqué,
    the ministry is condemning any act of physical, verbal, psychological violence
    and considers essential that students who have shown a violent conduct, should
    benefit from specialized counseling.




    In
    the meantime family and school must make efforts so that the violent actions
    may not repeat, the authorities say. Furthermore, the ministry announces, it
    would advertise by means of social networking a series of essential notions
    about certain types of violence, such as cyber-bullying, the use of social
    networks, the students’ rights and obligations the role of the County Centers
    of Resources and Educational Assistance and of School Safety Police.




    The
    institution has already launched a video part of a campaign of raising people’s
    awareness regarding these issues, showing it is not indifferent to the repeated
    cases of violence, which have been seen in Romanian schools of late.




    Education Minister Ligia Deca: Schools are areas of learning and socializing
    not of hits and bruises. Call on teachers to talk to you about the rights and
    obligations that you have and also about the consequences of violent acts. Call
    for support whenever you feel that the fury and fear are getting the best of
    you and refuse to be part of any act of physical or verbal aggression such as
    blackmailing, bullying or even cyberbullying. And don’t forget, you are not
    alone!




    The Education Ministry
    has announced that jointly with the Interior Ministry will be staging a series
    of working sessions to set a timetable of preventing drug use, activities for
    the prevention and combating of anti-social deeds at the level of gymnasium
    education units as well as the counseling of the students in the risk situation
    concurrently with the training of teachers.


    (bill)

  • Cyber bullying and its effects on young people

    Cyber bullying and its effects on young people

    In Romania, which ranks 2nd in the EU in terms of number of women working in the IT&C sector, 81% of the young women aged 16 to 24 surfed the Internet on a daily basis in 2017, by 1% more than young men the same age. Nevertheless, when it comes to young Romanians participation in online debates, their number is way below the European average. Only 16% of the young women and 20% of the young men were interested in exchanging ideas based on articles read in the media or on blogs.



    While this behaviour can be explained by a general lack of interest among young Europeans when it comes to political and civic involvement, other data about refraining from telling ones opinion indicate different causes. In the EU for instance, 12% of the girls aged 15 have experienced cyber bullying, as against only 7% of boys. In Romania, a survey conducted by the IT company Bitdefender last fall shows that four out of five teenagers aged below 18 say they have been the target of cyber bullying. Experts with the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) have linked cyber bullying to refraining from making any comments, especially in the case of girls.




    Furthermore, how many of the teenagers actually admit they have been victims of bullying, and that this is why they refuse to express their opinions? According to psychologist Nansi Lungu, surveys only take into account those who admit to having been bullied, although the phenomenon is very likely much more widespread than any statistics can show. Usually, bullies are youngsters the same age as the victims, and usually they are familiar with each other. “The worst thing is that, as a rule, bullying is a repeated behaviour, a continued aggression against the victim, Nansi Lungu believes, and the effects on the victim can be devastating:



    Nansi Lungu: “Youngsters or teenagers do not understand why they are attacked and why so much hatred is let out at them, so they may experience long-term effects, because their psychological development is still in progress at this age. They cannot prevent being bullied, because such attacks start at random, but once initiated, their frequency and aggressiveness increases.



    In Romania, the main reasons for cyber bullying have to do with looks and clothing, with 67% of the messages targeting these aspects. Other reasons include the victims hobbies and day-to-day activities (30%), the financial status of their families (13%), school grades (12%) and sexual orientation (8%). These reasons are, usually, the same as the reasons for classical bullying, as cyber bullying is a continuation of real life occurrences. However, in certain respects, cyber bullying is enhanced.




    Cyber bullying cannot be prevented because it is usually related to a certain context, and its apparent reasons are more often than not mere pretexts for aggressive behaviours. For this reason, emphasis should be laid on post-factum reactions and on education:



    Nansi Lungu: “By and large bullies arent discouraged by the quality of counterarguments but by the number of those who stand up for the victim. And this is why the phenomenon causes so much concern, because social cohesion is low in Romania. Children do not have around examples of people standing up to bullies. They may be taught this principle in schools, but they dont see that in everyday life. Due to scarce education, or human nature at that, a former victim may sometimes turn into a bully in a certain context. As far as we accept the propagation of a certain type of hatred and aggressiveness—and online we do that, to a great extent—there will always be someone to join the group of bullies. Why? Because in this way they get a sense of power and strength, and they can no longer become victims. The attitude of bystanders should also be educated, so that they may step in more often.

  • Online sexual harassment of women

    Online sexual harassment of women

    With an increasingly easier access to the Internet, to online social networks and state-of-the-art digital equipment, online violence and harassment methods have also developed and diversified. Hence the concept of cyber bullying, a form of online aggression or harassment using electronic means. The Internet’s propagation speed and the possibility to send instant messages to people far away have only increased virtual violence, which is by no means less harmful than the real one, says Jurgita Peciuriene, an expert with the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).




    Jurgita Peciuriene: ”There are many, many more different types of cyber-violence: cyber-stalking, cyber-harassment, non-consensual pornography, and luring young girls for purposes of trafficking or grooming younger girls. Non-consensual pornography is also known as revenge porn, and is spreading in huge proportions, and the perpetrators are often ex-partners who aim to publicly shame or humiliate. Women and men experience different types of harm. Men are more affected by cyber-insults, embarrassment and online harassment, while women are more exposed to cyber-stalking, online sexual harassment, and revenge porn.”



    According to EIGE, nowadays, the Internet allows for new forms of psychological violence against women: cyber-stalking and cyber harassment. Cyber-stalking is sending emails, text or video messages that are offensive or threatening, posting offensive comments about the respective person on the Internet and sharing intimate photos or videos of that person on the Internet. Cyber-harassment can be defined as receiving unwanted, offensive, sexually explicit emails, text messages and inappropriate offensive advances on social media and in chat rooms.



    Young women are particularly vulnerable to these forms of online psychological abuse, since they make more use of the Internet and social media than older women. According to 2014 data provided by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 20% of all 18 to 29 year-old women have experienced various ways of cyber-stalking starting at the age of 15. Moreover, in the case of women, violence in the virtual world is a continuation of violence or harassment experienced in the real world, EIGE experts say.



    In spite of being a very serious problem, at present there is no European legal framework that should incriminate and define cyber bullying, so it is up to the member states to take measures against this plague. In Romania for instance, there are neither statistical data to show the extent of the phenomenon, nor proper legislation on this particular offence, says Andreea Bragă, executive director of the feminist organization Filia Center:



    Andreea Bragă: “Unfortunately, there is no specific legislation meant to define cyber bullying. However, it could be included in certain law articles. In the new criminal code, article 208 defines harassment, saying that harassment represents, among other things, any repeated acts that may cause or are targeted at intimidating someone, including through online communication. Cyber bullying could thus be included under this law article, but it is not defined strictly as violence against women. There is legislation regarding cyber crime, but it does not make special reference to harassment. It only refers to pornography and personal data theft that may arise between former partners and can represent means of blackmailing a person to stay in a relationship.”



    Like other types of violence or harassment, cyber bullying stems from the power relationship established between victim and aggressor, says Andreea Bragă: “If you are part of a minority, be it ethnic, religious or sexual, and also if you are a woman – although women are not a minority, but more often than not they are placed in a inferior position as compared to men – you are exposed to cyber bullying to a larger extent. It is usually initiated by someone who has at least a symbolical capital of power, such as the most popular or coolest child in a group. That is why, the others, who happen to witness such an incident, more often than not side with the aggressor. In the case of teenagers, bullying becomes possible also due to the fact that witnesses, out of fear or of the need to copy or to imitate the aggressor, side with the aggressor. In the case of adults, we see tactics of intimidation, of injuring or criticizing people, by sending text messages, e-mails or even by creating defamatory web sites against some people. All these are made to denigrate or humiliate someone.”



    Clearly defining cyber bullying at legislative level would be needed not only to punish the perpetrators, but also to help victims better understand what is happening to them: namely that the manner in which they are aggressed or humiliated does not reflect their personal value but it is illustrative of how harmful their aggressors can be. Thus, the number of dramatic cases when people lose self-esteem can be reduced. And there is more to it.



    Here is Andreea Bragă again: “Cyber bullying is also closely linked to suicide. If a person has been subjected to a form of harassment for a long time, that person will come to be afraid, will get depressed and finally lose self-esteem. There have been cases of teenagers, both girls and boys, who committed suicide. Leaving aside the legislation in the field and the fact that there is no framework to punish such deeds, awareness raising campaigns are needed for people to understand what they are experiencing.”



    Not only the victims, but also the public at large browsing the Internet should be educated, so as to be able to react and put an end to an aggression whenever they become aware of instances of cyber bullying.

  • Hărţuirea online a femeilor

    Hărţuirea online a femeilor

    Odată cu accesul din ce în ce mai facil la
    internet, la reţelele sociale online şi la aparatura digitală sofisticată, au
    evoluat şi s-au diversificat şi modalităţile de violenţă şi hărţuire. În
    consecinţă, a apărut şi conceptul de cyber bullying, adică o formă de
    agresiune petrecută online sau de hărţuire informatică. Viteza de propagare a
    internetului şi posibilitatea mesajelor online de a ajunge cât mai repede, cât
    mai departe nu fac decât să ducă la creşterea nivelului violenţei virtuale care
    nu este mai puţin nocivă decât cea reală, ne confirmă Jurgita Peciuriene,
    expertă în cadrul EIGE (Institutul European pentru Egalitate de Gen). Există diferite forme de violenţă online: urmărirea
    online, hărţuirea online/informatică, pornografie nonconsensuală şi atragerea
    sau recrutarea de femei şi fete pentru a fi traficate, ulterior. Mai ales,
    pornografia nonconsensuală, cunoscută şi drept pornografie în vederea
    răzbunării, a devenit foarte răspândită, iar cei care o practică sunt, de
    obicei, foşti parteneri care îşi doresc să umilească, în mod public, fosta
    parteneră. Femeile, dar deopotrivă şi bărbaţii, trec prin aşa ceva. Bărbaţii
    sunt mai mult victimele insultelor online şi ale hărţuirii informatice puţin
    mai blândă în timp ce femeile sunt mai expuse la urmărirea online, la hărţuirea
    sexuală informatică şi la pornografia în vederea răzbunării.


    Potrivit distincţiilor aplicate de EIGE formelor
    pe care le ia cyber bullying, urmărirea online ar însemna trimiterea repetată
    de mesaje online – text sau video – sau de e-mailuri cu caracter ofensator, iar
    hărţuirea informatică se referă la mesajele sau comentariile cu caracter
    explicit sexual, la limbajul insultător şi la ameninţări. Femeile, mai ales
    adolescentele şi tinerele, sunt proponderent victimele acestei forme de
    violenţă informatică. Potrivit datelor din 2014 provenind de la Agenţia
    Europeană pentru Drepturi Fundamentale, 20% dintre femeile între 18 şi 29 de
    ani au trecut prin diverse forme de hărţuire informatică începând de la vârsta
    de 15 ani. În plus, în cazul femeilor, dar nu doar al lor, violenţa din lumea
    virtuală apare în continuarea violenţei sau hărţuirii din lumea reală,
    consideră specialiştii din cadrul Institutului European pentru Egalitate de
    Gen.


    În ciuda gravităţii situaţiei, nu
    există un cadru legislativ european care să încrimineze şi să definească
    hărţuirea informatică, rămânând la decizia statelor-membre de a lua măsuri
    împotriva acestui fenomen. În România, de pildă, nu există nici date statistice
    referitoare, nici legislaţie îndreptată preponderent contra combaterii
    hărţuirii informatice, ne spune Andreea Bragă, directoarea executivă a
    Centrului Filia, asociaţie de activism
    feminist. Din păcate, nu avem o legislaţie specifică pentru a
    defini hărţuirea informatică. Ea ar putea fi, totuşi, încadrată în anumite
    articole de lege. În noul cod penal, este definită hărţuirea în articolul 208
    care prevede, printre altele, şi actele repetate prin care se produce şi se
    vizează intimidarea, inclusiv prin comunicare online. Cyber bullying poate fi
    încadrat legal aici, dar nu este definit stric ca violenţă contra femeilor.
    Există, de asemenea, legiferată şi criminalitatea la nivelul internetului, dar
    acolo nu este precizată hărţuirea, ci pornografia şi furtul de date personale
    care apar între foştii parteneri şi pot constitui mijloace de a şantaja o
    persoană să continue o relaţie.


    Ca şi alte tipuri
    de violenţă sau hărţuire, şi cea informatică este favorizată de relaţii de
    putere care se stabilesc între victimă şi agresor, consideră Andreea Bragă. Dacă faci parte dintr-o minoritate, fie etnică, religioasă sau sexuală,
    inclusiv dacă eşti femeie – deşi ele nu sunt o minoritate, se află totuşi,
    uneori, într-o poziţie de inferioritate faţă de bărbaţi -, eşti mult mai expus
    hărţuirii informatice. Ea este, de obicei, iniţiată de cineva care are măcar un
    capital de putere simbolic cum ar fi copilul cel mai popular sau cool dintr-o
    gaşcă. De aceea, ceilalţi, cei care se întâmplă să asiste la aşa ceva, se
    solidarizează de multe ori cu agresorul. La adolescenţi, bullying se întâmplă
    şi din cauză că martorii, din teamă sau din nevoia de a-l copia pe agresor, se
    solidarizează cu el. În cazul adulţilor, apar tactici repetate de intimidare,
    de lezare, de criticare prin trimiterea de SMS-uri, de mailuri sau chiar prin
    construirea de site-uri defăimătoare la adresa anumitor persoane. Toate astea
    se fac pentru denigrarea şi pentru umilirea cuiva.


    Definirea clară, la nivel legislativ,
    a fenomenului de hărţuire informatică ar ajuta nu doar la pedepsirea
    făptaşilor, dar şi la ajutarea victimelor ca să înţeleagă mai bine ce li se
    întâmplă: modul în care sunt agresate sau umilite nu reflectă valoarea lor
    personală, ci nocivitatea agresorilor. În felul acesta, dramele prilejuite de
    pierderea respectului de sine pot fi reduse. Şi nu doar aceste drame. Andreea
    Bragă: Cyber bullyingul este foarte strâns legat
    şi de sinucideri. Dacă o persoană este supusă mult timp acestei forme de
    hărţuire, ajunge să se teamă, să fie deprimată, să-şi piardă stima de sine. Au
    fost cazuri de adolescenţi şi adolescente care s-au sinucis. Dincolo de
    legislaţie şi dincolo de faptul că nu există un cadru de a amenda această stare
    de lucruri, este nevoie şi de educaţie pentru ca oamenii să înţeleagă ce
    trăiesc



    Nu
    doar victimele trebuie educate în acest sens, ci, mai ales, publicul din
    spaţiul virtual care, observând cazurile de hărţuire online, ar trebui să
    reacţioneze pentru a pune capăt acestei agresiuni.

  • Kinder in der digitalen Welt: Chancen und Gefahren

    Kinder in der digitalen Welt: Chancen und Gefahren

    Eine aktuelle UNICEF-Studie zeigt: Die Jugendlichen im Alter zwischen 15-24 Jahren haben den intensivsten Zugang zum Internet. Einer von drei Internetnutzern weltweit ist ein Kind oder ein Jugendlicher unter 18. Für diese Altersklasse bringt das Internet einen gewissen Nutzen, es birgt aber auch Gefahren. Aber vor allem wirkt sich ein fehlender Internet-Anschluss negativ auf ihre Aussichten aus. Ebenfalls gemä‎ß der UNICEF hätten knapp 29% der Jugendlichen weltweit, etwa 346 Millionen Menschen also, keinen Zugang zum Internet. In Afrika etwa seien circa 60% der jungen Menschen nicht ans Internet angeschlossen, in Europa wären es nur 4%. Also ist der Zugang zum Internet auch zu einem Anhaltspunkt für ein wirtschaftliches und kulturelles Gefälle geworden. Das sei auch hierzulande bemerkbar, sagt Pieter Bult, UNICEF-Vertreter in Rumänien.



    In dieser Situation finden sich vor allem Kinder aus abgelegenen Gegenden wieder, oder Kinder, die von Armut, sozialer Ausgrenzung und Notfällen betroffen sind. Auch lässt sich in Rumänien — einem der Länder mit den schnellsten Internetverbindungen — ein extremes Gefälle zwischen den einzelnen Entwicklungsregionen in Sachen Internetzugang feststellen. Auch der Anteil der Personen, die jemals das Internet benutzt haben, schwankt zwischen 87,3% in der Region Bukarest-Ilfov und weniger als 70% in der Region Nordost, einer überwiegend ländlichen Region mit einer viel grö‎ßeren Armut.“




    Die digitalen Unterschiede wegen des Internetzugangs sind also Grund zur Sorge, neben den bereits intensiv diskutierten Ursachen wie Online-Aggressivität und Internetkriminalität, so Pieter Bult.



    Wir sehen vermehrt Fälle von Cyber Bullying (Einschüchterung) und neue Formen von Gewalt, Missbrauch und Kindermissbrauch — etwa Kinderpornographie auf Wunsch des Kunden und Livestreaming mit missbrauchten Kindern. Mit Hilfe anonymer Profile auf den sozialen Netzwerken und der nicht gesicherten Foren, die mit Online-Spielen in Verbindung stehen, können die Täter leichter Kinder ansprechen, die sich der lauernden Gefahren nicht bewusst sind. Und in diesen Fällen sind anfällige Kinder, wie etwa die aus bildungsfernen Familien, grö‎ßeren Gefahren ausgesetzt.“




    Laut einer Studie der Kinderrechtsorganisation Save the children“ surfen 78% der Kinder täglich oder fast täglich im Internet. 90% von ihnen benutzen mindestens ein soziales Netzwerk. Immerhin haben nur 17% von ihnen angegeben, sie würden weniger Zeit mit Familie, Freunden und Hausaufgaben verbringen als online. Andererseits erklärten 45% der Kinder und Jugendlichen, sie seien im Internet belästigt worden. Demzufolge ist es wichtig, Kinder vor den Gefahren im Internet zu schützen, eben damit das Internet zu einer Ressource für Bildung und eine ausgeglichene Entwicklung wird.



    Derweil scheinen sich die Kinder selbst bewusst zu sein, dass das Internet ein zweischneidiges Schwert ist, wie Constantin Eugen Gheorghe, Schüler der sechsten Klasse an der Bukarester Schule Ferdinand I., sagt:



    Das Internet ist für mich eine Inspirations- und Informationsquelle. Ich glaube, dass das Internet nützlich sein kann, aber in manchen Fällen kann es gefährlich sein. Zum Beispiel hilft es uns bei den Hausaufgaben und bei der Recherche für Referate und bietet uns zudem einen raschen Zugang zu komplexen Kenntnissen. Gleichzeitig gibt es im Internet Spiele, bei denen wir den Umgang mit Gleichaltrigen pflegen. Andererseits müssen wir sehr vorsichtig sein, wenn wir bestimmte Seiten besuchen, denn es gibt viele Wege, die ins Böse führen. Es ist wichtig, dass Eltern und Lehrer uns das Surfen im Internet nicht verbieten, sondern im Gegenteil, sie sollten uns dabei unterstützen.“




    Eben weil Erwachsene — Eltern und Erzieher zugleich — das Verhalten der Kleinen im Internet besser beobachten und sie auch zu sicheren Seiten und Aktivitäten führen wollen, haben die rumänischen Behörden einen Leitfaden veröffentlicht. Er trägt den Titel Die ersten sicheren Schritte im digitalen Leben“ und wurde vom Landeszentrum für Zwischenfälle im Bereich Cybersicherheit (CERT.RO) erarbeitet. Die Broschüre enthält Grundwissen und Richtlinien für ein sicheres Surfen im Internet, wie uns Cătălin Aramă, Generaldirektor von CERT.RO mitteilte:



    Wir haben die Informationen und Aktivitätsformen für Kinder in drei gro‎ße Kategorien eingeteilt: Online-Umgang mit anderen, Teilen von Angaben über sich selbst und Zugang zu Inhalten. Der Leitfaden nennt für jede der drei Kategorien eine Reihe von identifizierten Gefahren, empfiehlt Ma‎ßnahmen und zieht bestimmte Schlüsse. Sicher, es werden ausgeprägt technische Lösungen geboten. Im Leitfaden gibt es Adressen oder Links zu nützlichen Adressen, wo Erwachsene sich informieren können und ihre ersten Schritte für eine Überwachung der Aktivitäten ihrer Kinder im Internet unternehmen.“




    Indes ist es auch die Empfehlung der UNICEF: Kinder sollten ins Zentrum der Digitalpolitik rücken – sowohl für eine optimale Nutzung des Internets als auch für die Reduzierung der Gefahren.