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

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. The centre's three core activities are advisory support, forwarding cases of child abuse to institutions, and preventive measures.

The centre pays great attention to preventive activities, and for this reason, presentations are held in primary and secondary schools for children and parents. They can contact the centre and, depending on the problem, get advice. If there is an element of a criminal offence, a case will be created and forwarded to relevant institutions.

Education aims 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.

For example, in 2023, 120 presentations were held throughout Serbia, attended by 7,803 students, 1,097 parents, and 302 teachers.

Since the beginning of the year (until April 2024), the helpline achieved a total of 2,079 communications. Of those, the helpline received 1,683 times contacts from citizens via the free phone line and received 396 emails. Based on these communications, 361 cases were formed that could be advisory or forwarded to institutions for further action. Plans for the future include greater visibility on social networks, and through content creation.

Since the beginning of the year (until April 2024), 361 hotline cases were created, of which 344 cases were advisory, and 17 cases were forwarded to competent institutions for further action (15 to the High-Tech Crime Department at the police, and 2 to the High-Tech Crime Prosecutor's Office). The criminal acts that dominate the referred cases are sextortion and grooming by predators.

At the end of 2023, a large campaign against peer violence "Show respect - react to hate" was held. Along with professionals from the Serbian centre, well-known young influencers also acted as educators. On that occasion, 11 cities in Serbia were visited and presentations were held for 2,940 high school students. Future plans include involving more youth participants as findings show that children learn best from their peers.