During the week, the Ukrainian delegation worked fruitfully at the Assembly's venues.
On the last day of the meeting, Ukrainian parliamentarians reported on online violence and children’s right to a safe digital environment. The Ukrainian delegation was represented by the MPs Iryna Konstankevych and Larysa Bilozir, who focused on the specifics of the impact of networks and disinformation on children during the war.
“In times of war, criminals can ask children for information about the military, and the Internet is also dominated by violent content. Protecting children from violence in the digital environment is an issue that requires great attention and immediate action. Especially in times of war, as children are the most vulnerable category of information consumers,” said Iryna Konstankevych.
According to the latest data from the international research project ESPAD, only 6.7% of surveyed teenagers in Ukraine do not use social media, almost 45% of teenagers spend up to three hours a day on social media, and about 50% spend 4 or more hours.
The parliamentarian stressed that the real life of Ukrainian children in the context of russia's attack is accompanied by even greater threats. Every day, Ukrainians face the threat of not only being subjected to online violence, but also dying from a russian missile.
At the same time, criminals are now often establishing contacts with children on the Internet to demand information from them about the location of military bases and strategic facilities. In addition to collecting data, the occupying country is actively spreading disinformation to sow panic, disbelief, discord, and discredit the authorities, the Security and Defence Forces, and volunteers.
“Ukraine is doing a lot to counter the impact of such operations. It is important to raise this topic at the international level. Discussion of the issue in PACE is a significant step in the fight against online violence and the spread of disinformation, fakes and data,” the MP stressed.
For her part, Larysa Bilozir, a member of the delegation, also stressed the importance of protecting children from online violence during the russian-Ukrainian war.
She emphasised that the whole world is now watching the russian aggressive war online, a real violence that violates the fundamental rights of Ukrainian children: the right to life, safety, education and medical care.
At the same time, she said, russian aggression is being waged not only on the battlefield, but also in the online space, where children, who are particularly vulnerable to such influence, are targeted by enemy propaganda.
“To ensure the safety of our children online, we need a comprehensive legal framework that includes age verification on websites, proactive measures to protect young children from harmful content, and robust educational programmes for both schools and families. Unfortunately, Ukrainian children today learn about the wartime period of history not from the Internet or books, but from their own lives,” the MP stressed in her speech.
She reminded the delegates of the Assembly that Ukrainian children are dying in their beds in their sleep, in maternity hospitals, on playgrounds, in cars during evacuation. And even today, during the session, children are being killed by missiles and drones in the Dnipro River.
“russia's policy towards Ukrainian children is part of the genocide of our nation. I call for joint work at the national and international levels to protect the children of Ukraine, to create a society in which children can thrive, express themselves and participate fully in the digital and real world, being protected from war and harm,” Larysa Bilozir concluded.
The next session of PACE is scheduled to take place in the summer, where the Ukrainian delegation will continue to defend Ukraine's interests and engage the international community in a united fight against the aggressor country of russia.