A few days ago, photomontages of the naked bodies of several schoolgirls and one elementary school teacher from Vranje appeared on social networks. What does the director of a school say about this, how far the procedure has come and what if a child is a victim of digital violence
Vranje, a place in the south of Serbia, has been rocked by the case in recent days digital violence according to the students of Vranje elementary schools and one teacher.
Na social networks edited photos of them showing their faces on their naked bodies appeared during the past weekend.
The case caused numerous reactions in Vranje, the prosecutor's office and the police are conducting an investigation, and the school was closed on Monday as a result.
"On Saturday, we received information that some students were sending photos and posting them on their profiles. We immediately forwarded the information to the police, high-tech crime inspectors were immediately involved. On Monday morning, we held a meeting, we collected statements from the injured students, as well as from the students who sent the photos," Nenad Stefanović, director of the elementary school "Radoje Domanović" in Vranje, whose students and teacher are among the victims of this crime, told Vreme.
As he adds, a conclusion was reached on the initiation of disciplinary proceedings.
"Plans for increased disciplinary work for each student are being developed, as well as support plans for students who have been harmed. We are now waiting for information from the prosecutor's office and the police, since they are examining the phones, to see what we will do next," says Stefanović.
It is a photo from one of the competitions, where the girls and the teacher are, the media reported.
The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Vranje announced that the duty prosecutor was informed about a case of "digital violence" in one of the city's primary schools.
The High Public Prosecutor's Office will not provide details about this incident because the perpetrator is a minor, it was stated.
An eighth-grade student of the Elementary School "Radoje Domanović" in Vranje, suspected of editing photos of female students and a teacher and publishing them on social networks, was interrogated by the police, the Regional Information Agency JUGpress learned from police sources.
"Unfortunate event"
According to the director of this school, the help of the Center for Social Work, the Triage Center from Belgrade, the prosecutor's office, and the police was requested.
"This is an unfortunate event, but we, the employees of the schools, do not have the ability to prevent children from taking photos and publishing photos. Only parents can do that. No one cares. All parents are in a panic that their child is not in those photos," explains Stefanović.
As he adds, Radoje Domanović Elementary School is mentioned, "as if the school is to blame for it."
"No, children do it at home. But we take all measures," adds the "Vremena" interlocutor.
When it comes to measures, a meeting was held at the school, a decision was made to initiate disciplinary proceedings, and the decision of the prosecutor's office is awaited, in order to take the next steps.
Because of this case, there were no classes at school on Monday (May 5).
"On Monday, we stopped classes precisely because of that. The teachers and children were upset, we didn't know how to react. The teacher has extensive experience of thirty years of work in education. When she came to school and stood in front of her colleagues, she couldn't stop crying. It's the hardest for those children and their parents. The teacher is a trained woman, these are 13-14 year old children," adds Stefanović.
As he explains, it is still not known who is the perpetrator of the violence, but, as he adds, two students and their parents have been questioned and the phones have been sent for expert examination.
The school released a brief statement on social media on Monday.
Parents' requests
The parents of the victims of digital violence at "Radoje Domanović" elementary school also came forward.
"As is already known, photomontages were processed and distributed that show a dozen girls and one teacher from two Vranje schools so far in a sexually suggestive and humiliating context. This is not an isolated incident, but the culmination of a serious problem that has gotten out of control and requires a responsible, joint response from all schools," the statement said.
Therefore, they demand that the Active Primary Schools of the city of Vranje publicly and clearly declare this case as digital, psychological and sexual violence, in accordance with the prescribed definition of such cases, and not to mitigate the event as an "unfortunate event", to take a unique and unambiguous position on the measures that primary schools can take when it comes to the protection of children and employees, taking into account all possibilities, and not only for schools which, as they state, are "easier to implement".
They request that all parents, not only affected families, be informed about the existing child protection procedures in cases of digital and other violence, and that digital security be reviewed and strengthened, especially when it comes to the use and availability of photos of students from school profiles and public announcements.
"We believe that appealing to parents to "pay attention to what their children take pictures of and share on social networks" is not an adequate response in this case, especially when it is known that some of the misused photos were taken from official school profiles," the announcement states.
As it is added, this event must not go without a system response.
"We, as the parents of the victims, do not seek condemnation of individuals, but responsible action that will prevent something like this from happening again to any child and any teacher in any school. We are convinced that we share a common goal: a school that is safe and dignified for everyone," the statement reads.
What do the principals of Vranje schools say?
Principals of elementary schools in Vranje also announced a joint statement.
They, as they state, strongly condemn digital, sexual and psychological violence that happened to schoolgirls and teachers.
As they state, the Law on the Basics of the Education System prescribes the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of students.
"Among other things, this Law stipulates that a student can be held responsible for a minor violation of an obligation established by the general act of the school, for a more serious violation of an obligation prescribed by this Law, as well as for a violation of the prohibition. It is about the prohibition of discrimination, violence, abuse and neglect, as well as the prohibition of behavior that offends reputation, honor or dignity."
"In cooperation with the competent institutions, the schools have already initiated appropriate procedures in order to establish all the facts and provide support to the victims. All those who participated in the violence will be treated in accordance with the Law, the Rulebook on the protocol of the institution's actions in response to violence, abuse and neglect, the Rulebook on the institution's actions in case of suspected or established discriminatory behavior and insult to the reputation, honor or dignity of the person and general school acts," the statement said.
Schools will, it added, review digital security when it comes to the use and availability of student photos on official school websites and in other official publications.
The reaction of the Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education asked the school to strengthen educational measures and provide psychological support to victims of digital violence, with the expectation that experts in high-tech crime from the Ministry of the Interior will do their part.
The Ministry of Education announced the initiation of educational and disciplinary measures against a student suspected of digital violence.
What is digital violence?
Internet violence is any form of violence that occurs through the use of digital technologies.
It can take place on social networks, messaging apps, gaming platforms and mobile phones. It is repetitive behavior designed to frighten, anger or embarrass the person being attacked.
Examples of digital bullying are spreading falsehoods or posting embarrassing photos of someone on social media, sending threats through messaging platforms, impersonating and sending inappropriate messages to others on someone else's behalf.
"Violence in real life and online violence can often happen side by side. However, online violence leaves a digital record that can serve as evidence when stopping it," the Unicef website states.
Serbia has a developed platform for combating violence against children, I'm protecting you, and there is also a free line for reporting digital violence, 19833.
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