National and local institutions and experts gathered in Burgas to discuss the measures and results of the fight against cyberbullying of children during the fourth international forum "Together in the fight against cyberbullying of children", organized by the Bulgarian Academy of Security and the media "Standard".
The mayor of Burgas, Dimitar Nikolov, emphasized the need for training professionals in the field of education and support from the municipalities for funding programs for the protection of children.
Over 450 directors and teachers discussed the creation of a national plan for protection from online bullying, with the participation of Members of Parliament, representatives of the court, the prosecutor's office, the Ministry of Interior and the GDBOP. The Metropolitan of Sliven, Arseniy, and the Ambassador of Ukraine, H.E. Olesya Ilashchuk, also took part.
The forum, which was held for the first time outside Sofia, emphasized the leading role of Burgas in innovative solutions for the country. Slavka Bozukova, editor-in-chief of the media "Standard", noted that Burgas managed to organize first for the "Cyber Defenders" program and hopes for the Burgas model for national scale.
The Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Natalia Mikhalevska, noted the importance of training teachers and including the topic of cybersecurity in the curricula. The head of RUI-Burgas, Valentina Kamalieva, focused on the integration of the new profession "Cybersecurity" in the municipality.
Prof. Vladimir Bronfenbrenner noted the achieved results of the campaign, such as 300,000 children saved and a reduction in the percentage of victims of cyberbullying. The Metropolitan of Sliven, Arseniy, thanked the Bulgarian teacher for his role as a modern awakener.
The "Cyber Defenders" program aims to reduce the percentage of children who are victims of cyberbullying below the EU average, and by the end of 2026, Bulgaria should have the smallest number of victims in the online space.