April - May 2023
Children’s Rights Prevention with a particular focus on the Right to Privacy - 351.846 rsd
BEOGRADSKI CENTAR ZA LJUDSKA PRAVA (BCHR) is a non-profit organization established in 1995. The Center’s mission is to strengthen and develop democracy in Serbia and the region, improve theory, legislation, and practice in human rights and humanitarian law, and contribute to the development of civil society and the respect of the culture of human rights. They are educators with the longest tradition in the country, having held annual human rights schools since 1996. BCHR has been developing its strong Youth Program since 2014.
The Alternative Report on the Position and Needs of Young People for 2022 points out that "the percentage of young people who were exposed to digital violence also increased from 37% to 40%" compared to 2021. Young people may, out of ignorance or due to pressure, share their personal data and the personal data of other young people (e.g., classmates), such as contact details or location, with their peers, strangers on the Internet, or advertisers. This can lead to their data being used for unwanted purposes, from benign ones, such as targeted advertising, to severe privacy violations, such as identity theft. Young people are thus recognized in the Report on the needs of sensitive social groups in the field of privacy as a vulnerable group whose privacy needs to be protected.
Taking all those contemporary issues into consideration, workshops were held in April and May 23 on the safe and responsible use of digital technologies. The project targeted students in the sixth and seventh grade of Elementary school “Ratko Mitrović in Belgrade (the children aged 12 and 13).
The workshops, which were led by representatives of the Belgrade Center for Human Rights in cooperation with schoolteachers, were focused on improving the digital skills of male and female students, recognizing digital violence, promoting media literacy and responsible sharing of media content.
During the workshops, students entered the world of human rights and participated in discussions about the digital world. They shared their experiences on social networks, learned about the importance of security and privacy in the digital space and participated in a one-day Social Media detox challenge. In addition, through the workshop process itself, the students created their own rulebook for the use of digital technologies and jointly established guidelines for responsible digital behavior.
Through applied theater techniques (Forum Theater), the students explored the topic of digital violence more deeply and learned how to react effectively in such situations. In addition, the workshops equipped the participants with knowledge that they were happy to pass on to their peers within the school community through short interactive lectures.
The success of these workshops and the sense of trust developed during the work process not only highlights the importance of educating young people about digital skills, but also the positive impact it can have on the overall educational experience.
Feedback from students:
« I react differently to some situations... For example, I am no longer touched by certain things on social media. Also, I am changing my attitude about what should be posted on social networks and what should not. »
"The workshop on prejudices was the most important for me. I learned not to judge people. »
"I think differently. When I see that someone is making fun of someone in the class, I immediately put myself in their position person, how would I feel... »
