National Council for Family Affairs, UNICEF launch campaign on cyberbullying

AMMAN — The National Council for Family Affairs and UNICEF launched a campaign titled “The new epidemic at the time of the pandemic” to curb the effects of cyberbullying on children. 

The number of children cyberbullied during the pandemic rose to 64 per cent according to a recent study conducted by UNICEF Jordan, making it one of the challenges of our times at the same time being an irreplaceable tool for education and work, according to a joint statement 

This increase in usage calls for educating caregivers and children, and providing tools for the protection of children.

Mohammad Miqdadi, secretary general of the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) said that this campaign comes as the latest in a series of campaigns on violence against children that were jointly launched by the NCFA and UNICEF Jordan since 2017, as well as the National Plan for limiting violence against children that was launched in 2018 and adopted by various ministries and the Public Security Directorate.  

Miqdadi also drew attention to a recent study by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission that showed an increase in cyberbullying between 60 and 80 per cent since the start of the pandemic, where it has become necessary to carry out a campaign to increase awareness as well as educate people on the prevention tools as well as the possible interventions available on cyberbullying on social media platforms, chatting applications and online gaming.

The objective of this national online campaign is to increase the awareness generally on the subject of cyber bullying as well as safety on the Internet, as well as providing prevention tools, the statement said.

It is also intended to create an online conversation amongst caregivers on one side, and teenagers on the other, and encouraging all to take a stand against it as well.  

Furthermore, it aims at providing the caregivers with the tools to limit the possibility of cyber bullying and a call for safe Internet for children and special attention to those in weaker positions such as women, children and those with disabilities.

Tanya Chapuisat, country representative for UNICEF Jordan, said: “Child rights must be at the forefront of digital safety and protection policies, especially at this critical time when children and youth are spending more time than ever online. UNICEF is committed to supporting the NCFA to empower children to stay safe and protected online, while also educating parents and communities on digital safety and reporting mechanisms.”

This anti-cyberbullying campaign comes within a national strategy (2019-2021) for the limitation of violence against children, and this is also a main priority of UNICEF during the pandemic, the statement said. 

The campaign will continue for 30 days on the social media channels of UNICEF Jordan and NCFA.