Abstract:

This work aims at presenting the results of the qualitative and quantitative analyses of Project LEAGUE’s results, taking into account the sample collected in Slovenia and Bulgaria, on the perception of online violence against minors and online Safety.

LEAGUE Project - Supporting prevention and reporting of online child sexual abuse of underaged boys focussing on awareness-raising and education activities, helping to give this topic societal relevance and strengthening professionals' capacities is co-financed by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) (2021-2027) under Grant Agreement 101049294.

The LEAGUE project is composed of a consortium of 5 institutions from 5 different countries. Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Slovenia and had a duration of 24 months.

As part of one of its working packages, the consortium developed a survey that served as an instrument to collect the necessary data for the implementation of the LEAGUE Project and its outputs/ deliverables. The survey was composed of a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions. Closed-ended questions are helpful for quantitative analysis, while open-ended questions allow participants to share their experiences and insights in their own words.

The quantitative analysis presented in this paper is based on the data, collected through online survey from a sample of 200 male participants (n=200) aged 10 to 18 from Slovenia and Bulgaria. Most participants who took part in the survey were aged between 15 and 18 years old (75 %). A quarter of the participants were between 10 and 14 years old. The data collected was then analysed with descriptive statistics which gave us an insight into the general picture of the topic, based on the sample we used.

Qualitative analysis techniques such as thematic analysis were utilised to identify patterns, themes, and commonalities in participants' responses.

According to the LEAGUE surveys, around 47% of children surveyed say they never accept friend requests from individuals they are not familiar with, yet almost 10% of these children report that they do share their contact information with a stranger.

However, a significant number of children surveyed indicated that they either share fake information instead or that they do not come across these situations because they only communicate with friends.

Nonetheless, this does not negate the need for a better approach to the associated harms and risks revolving around children’s online gaming habits, especially with 10% of children reporting upsetting content as they engage in online gaming.

Keywords:

Cyberbullying, online sexual abuse, technologies, Gender Based Violence.