SIC+ programme: Serbia - National Contact Center for Child Safety on the Internet

Location

Belgrade, Serbia

Email

emina.bekovic@mit.gov.rs

Website

https://pametnoibezbedno.gov.rs/

About the organisation

The National Contact Center for Child Safety on the Internet was formed within the Smart and Safe platform in 2017 in Belgrade and belongs to the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications. Three core activities of the centre are advisory support, forwarding cases of child abuse to institutions, and preventive measures.

Awareness raising

The goal of education is to get as many children as possible to understand the dangers of the internet so that children do not forget that the internet, besides its good sides, has bad ones too. In addition, the goal is for parents to be more informed and find ways to talk with their children about their online activities. In this way, the internet becomes a family experience, awareness is raised on the proper use of digital technologies, and children become aware of safety importance.

Helpline

The main work of the centre is to advise children, parents, and all other citizens, not only about the advantages and risks of using the internet but also about safe ways to use new technologies and how to protect themselves on the internet. Through the free children's hotline, all citizens can get advice, technical support (for example, how to install parental control applications), and information about concerns they have when it comes to children's safety on the internet.

Hotline

Being connected with all relevant institutions operators can submit reports of harmful, inappropriate, and illegal content and behavior on the internet, that are violating the rights and interests of the child. More concretely, the centre can forward reports from citizens who discovered child sexual abuse images or any online abuse of children. The reporting person may choose to remain anonymous or provide contact details. Depending on the type of problem, if there is an element of a criminal offense, the case is forwarded to the relevant institutions: 

  • The Prosecutor's Office for high-tech crime
  • The high-tech crime department of the police
  • To the Ministry of Education
  • Centres for Social Work and/or Health Centres.

In each institution, there are our contact persons who take cases that come directly from the centre.

Youth participation

Youth participation in Serbia isn't yet at the required level and therefore we have created a programme for peer educators. The goal of our organisation is to train children and young people to educate their peers on the subject of child safety on the internet. In such a manner, children will be directly included in awareness-raising activities in our country, and they will benefit from that way of educating and raising awareness.

Prevention

We pay great attention to preventive measures, and one of the regular activities of the Centre is holding presentations throughout Serbia, in primary and secondary schools. They are intended for children as well as parents because education is the best protection against risks on the internet.

This is an opportunity to encourage and inform children and parents to whom they can report the problem or ask for help and in which ways. We are also participants in projects such as the Digital Expedition, In the context of which we visit all cities of Serbia to raise awareness among citizens about the importance of internet safety. In 2023, the campaign "Show respect, react to hate" was implemented with a focus on the prevention of cyberbullying. Well-known influencers also participated in the campaign. We are also proud of our long-term cooperation with sports camps, where every summer we hold presentations for young athletes and we talk with them about how important internet safety is.