ETUCE seminar on cyber-harassment
Brussels, 18th - 19th February 2010
Teacher trade unions concerned about violence at school
From 18 to 19 February there was an ETUCE seminar held in Brussels on cyber-harassment, i.e. the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk somebody. The seminar entitled „Teacher trade unions concerned about violence at school” was organised by the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE). Among the participants there were representatives of teacher trade unions from all over Europe, namely from Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Great Britain.
The aim of the seminar was to exchange good practices on how to tackle cyber-harassment in schools, such as codes of conduct on anti-cyber harassment measures in schools. The seminar participants discussed concrete trade union strategies dealing with this form of violence as well as the implementation of the European Framework Agreement on Violence and Harassment in the education sector. They also took part in workshops and presented reports regarding a trade union action plan on anti-cyber harassment measures with recommendations addressed to all stakeholders in education.
The seminar was centred upon teachers’ on-line safety, psychological aspects of cyber-harassment against teachers, European legislation on cyber-harassment and service providers guidance for teachers on cyber-harassment.
There were a few specialists invited to participate in the seminar who represented such institutions as Directorate General Information Society and Media at European Commission, INSAFE (European netowrk of awareness centres promoting safe and responsible use of the Internet and mobile devices), N.E.P.E.S. (Network of European Psychologists in the Education System), Research Centre on Information Technologies at the University of Namur and a multinational mobile network operator - Vodafone Global Head of Content Standards. Experts and researchers on cyber-violence in the education sector shared their expertise with the audience. They presented data collected on the basis of the first survey on cyber-harassment, which was filled in by all ETUCE member organisations in November 2009. In April 2010 a second survey will be launched on cyber-harassment.
The seminar organised in February was the first meeting within the new project. The final conference on cyber-harssment will take place in Bratislava at the beginning of June.
The ZNP was represented by Joanna Siecińska.
All relevant information on the new project can be found at: www.edu-osh.eu.