WEASA alumni present research on cyberbullying in North Macedonia and Serbia:
For the last decades, human behaviour has been modified due to internet access in many cases even crossing red lines. One of these red lines are the acts of cyberbullying, stalking and harassment. These have become burning issues in many Western Balkan countries, in particular, in North Macedonia and Serbia. For this reason, WEASA alumni members from different editions came up together to carry out joint research on cyberbullying.
The findings of the innovative and unique research were presented during a special online WEASA seminar on January 31st, 2022.
The aim of the presentation was to draw the attention to the research findings, analyse the legislative gaps existing in both countries, discuss the psychological aspects and consequences of victims and eventually propose recommendations for internet users.
The speakers of the research presentation are experienced professionals from the WEASA alumni network. They included:
Dr Ana STEVANOVIC (Serbia): Ana holds a Ph.D. in Arts and Media and is a former parliamentarian of the Republic of Serbia, acting politician. She is skilled in public relations and media relations.
Mr Oliver RISTESKI (North Macedonia). Oliver holds MA in Criminology and Criminalistics. He is the head of the Department for Law Enforcement Research at the think-tank Center for Security Research, specializing in security, information security, cybersecurity, and computer crime.
Dr Gentjan SKARA, PhD in law, being informed of this research, another WEASA alumni member from Albania proposed to make his contribution to the research by analysing the issue of cyberbullying from the perspective of EU law, since both countries have an obligation to harmonize their legislation.
The discussion was moderated by Ms Tatevik HOVHANNISYAN, WEASA Alumni Coordinator at the College of Europe in Natolin.
The research with a set of recommendations will soon be published on WEASA website.
For more information on upcoming opportunities in the framework of the WEASA project please contact Ms Tatevik HOVHANNISYAN.