site.btaSofia to Host National Conference on Children in the Digital World Organized by UNICEF

UNICEF is organizing a national conference on children in the digital world titled "Together for Safer Internet for Children" at Sofia's Grand Hotel Millennium on November 9, the UNICEF Bulgaria Office said Tuesday.

The forum is organized in partnership with the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, the State Agency for Child Protection, the National Network for Children, the Parents Association and the Safer Internet Centre. The conference aims at fostering dialogue, knowledge sharing and strengthening national efforts for safe internet for children and young people in Bulgaria.

Participating will be National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov, Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov and UNICEF Representative to Bulgaria Christina de Bruin, among others. The forum will also gather representatives from civil society, youth and parent organizations, media, the private sector, and business. The discussions will focus on the benefits and opportunities that digitalization and the Internet bring to children, as well as the risks, including misinformation, cyberbullying, harmful and illegal content, sexual abuse and child exploitation.

UNICEF data released on November 20 - World Children's Day - show that one in seven children in Bulgaria reports having been a victim of online bullying and harassment, especially on social media.