Sharing practices and experiences in Vietnam and Israel

On the morning of July 20, the Embassy of Israel in Vietnam and the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs jointly organized the Workshop "Vietnam and Israel Prevent Cyberbullying".

Phòng chống bắt nạt trên môi trường mạng: Chia sẻ thực tiễn, kinh nghiệm ở Việt Nam và Israel

Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Yaron Mayer delivered the opening speech at the Workshop. (Photo: Thu Trang)

Attending the workshop were delegates and experts from Israel, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Information and Communications , Child Fund Vietnam, representatives of Vietnamese ministries, departments and agencies, and many press agencies.

The workshop is an opportunity for Vietnam and Israel to share best practices in preventing cyberbullying and innovative multidisciplinary approaches to raise public awareness of this increasingly hot global issue.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Yaron Mayer affirmed: “The problem of cyberbullying causes serious psychological and physical consequences for victims. It is time for us to act together and fight against online bullying.”

Mr. Luu Quang Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, emphasized the risks in the online environment. (Photo: Thu Trang)

Meanwhile, Mr. Luu Quang Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, said that the Internet is similar to a digital encyclopedia, where people can learn and improve their knowledge quickly and conveniently, but it is also a place with many potential risks of bullying for users, especially teenagers and children.

"What children have suffered in the past from being bullied online can easily turn them into people who are prone to violence in adult life or have unstable temperaments," Mr. Luu Quang Tuan warned.

During the thematic sessions, experts presented a comprehensive picture of the cyberbullying situation, including its impact on children, the current situation in Vietnam, and related policies, laws, and general solutions to prevent cyberbullying.

Mr. Doron Herman, speaker from Israel, founder ofeducation company Safe School Analytics , shares measures and models that Israel is applying. (Photo: Thu Trang)

Mr. Doron Herman, a speaker from Israel and founder of the education company Safe School Analytics , shared with many representatives of Vietnamese ministries and sectors about the measures and models that Israel is applying to combat cyberbullying. Among them, it is worth mentioning the resolution proposed by the United Nations Human Rights Council on this issue by Israel. Israel has also established an inter-ministerial agency, operating the 105 hotline to receive questions and reports from people about cyberbullying.

Technological solutions are also a strength of Israel in this field, typically the teaching content developed by Doron Herman's business to support schools in educating children about social-emotional skills and online safety. This solution has received support from many influential people in Israeli society, such as movie star Gal Gadot.

There are also phone apps, like Israel's Keeps Child Safety, which uses AI to identify bullying messages on a child's phone and alert parents within 20 minutes.

Overview of the Workshop. (Photo: Thu Trang)

The workshop aimed to discuss ways to strengthen cyberbullying capacity among domestic stakeholders through legal sanctions and innovative technological advancements. In addition, the solutions also helped raise public awareness of a phenomenon that is still new in Vietnam.

Microsoft's 2020 study found that more than 5 in 10 internet users in Vietnam have been involved in bullying. 21% of those surveyed said they had been victims and 38% were bystanders or witnesses to bullying or harassment.

Currently, Vietnam also has legal regulations related to online bullying, including the Law on Cyber Security (2018), the Law on Children (2016), and coordination regulations between the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Information and Communications in receiving information, investigating and handling acts of child abuse and monitoring data related to child sexual abuse in the online environment.