On the Safe Internet Day, which is marked around the world on February 8, UNICEF and the Cybersecurity Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs began cooperation to reduce harm and protect children from violence online, the office of the UN Children's Fund in Uzbekistan said.

“Expanding internet access and reducing the information divide is vital to ensure that all children and young people learn and acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. Unfortunately, for all its benefits, the Internet is also associated with online abuse, exploitation, and the spread of misinformation. Therefore, the best way to combat violence both on the Internet and in real life is to apply a systematic approach to solving these issues,” said Munir Mammadzade, head of the UNICEF office in Uzbekistan.

“To solve the problem of violence against children, it is necessary to improve parenting skills, raise awareness of children themselves, improve social services and child protection personnel, as well as a solid legislative and institutional framework, including a data collection and management system,” said the head of UNICEF in Uzbekistan.

As future steps in the fight against violence against children, both online and in real life, it is planned to improve inter-agency cooperation, ensure the active participation of civil society organizations, raise awareness, train parents, as well as primary care professionals on how to support children and protect them from online threats.

UNICEF and the Cyber ​​Security Center are planning to create a National Center for Safe Internet. This is an online platform where information will be published on how to protect oneself from online violence. The platform will have a 24/7 operator who can provide advice or support to children and parents. In addition, a Telegram bot will be launched, through which it will be possible to send a message about the risks for children on the Internet.

According to UNICEF, according to global data, one third of all Internet users are children under 18 years old, and every half a second a child enters the Internet for the first time. However, its wide scope comes with risks and dangers for children, such as cyberbullying, cyberstalking and cybergrooming, that is, the creation of a trusting relationship with a child or adolescent for the purpose of sexual exploitation.