MTS and UNICEF have announced the #InternetNoBulling campaign continues

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus and MTS signed a Cooperation Agreement at the MTS Headquarters on the eve of International Children's Day. The document will promote the #InternetNoBulling project aimed at preventing online aggression.

The Agreement was signed as part of a round table attended by Vladislav Andreychenko, MTS CEO, and Rustam Khaydarov, UNICEF Representative in Belarus, and Elena Simakova, Deputy Head of the Social, Educational and Ideological Work Department of the Main Directorate for Educational Work and Youth Policy of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus. The participants discussed the threats faced by children and adolescents in the digital world, summed up the outcomes of the #InternetNoBulling project, outlined its follow-ups and the opportunities of integrating materials on cyberbullying prevention into the education system.

The #InternetNoBulling project was launched in 2021; multiple project activities have engaged many people and stakeholders. One of the project activities was the Republican Webinar on Safe Online Behavior of Children and Adolescents, which brought together over 1,700 participants from all over the country. Please feel free to watch the full online webinar recording on the MTS's official YouTube channel here.

“Today we are fully aware of how dangerous the consequences of cyberbullying are and how children are not protected from it. Even adults can't keep them safe sometimes. It is important that businesses are involved in this agenda and are implementing projects aimed at preventing online bullying. For our part, we are ready to provide the necessary expertise on this topic,” said Elena Simakova, Deputy Head of the Social, Educational and Ideological Work Department of the Main Directorate for Educational Work and Youth Policy of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus. 

“The digital world contains threats, including threats to psychological health and even the life of a child. Therefore, we will continue cooperating with our partners to develop in-demand skills in children, teachers and parents for them to use Internet technologies safely. We would like to scale up this activity and start introducing project materials into the education system so that as many children and adolescents as possible learn how to counter online bullying,” said Rustam Khaydarov, UNICEF Representative in Belarus.

“MTS is a company that opens up digital world opportunities for millions of its customers. Internet connectivity allows our subscribers from any region of the country, including adults and children, to communicate, study and work online comfortably and limitlessly. It is important for us to provide not only useful services, but also to teach people how to use the Internet skillfully and safely. Contemporary technologies are an effective development environment, but at the same time they create certain challenges. That's why I'm thankful to our partners for supporting the #InternetNoBulling initiative. We see its relevance and value. Today's signing of the Agreement is a proof of our intention to further disseminate information about cyberbullying prevention among residents of our country,” said Vladislav Andreychenko, CEO of MTS.

The MTS and UNICEF #InternetNoBulling initiative focuses on preventing online bullying among children and adolescents. The project has created training videos, test simulators and an anti-bullying workbook that help gain more information about online bullying and teach children, parents and educators how to behave safely when online.